The Opposite Effect
by starzee
Summary: Caroline had no idea how the hell this happened. It wasn't supposed to be possible. She had no idea what she was going to do. She was supposed to be starting senior year in a few weeks time! She had no idea how the hell she was going to tell him... ON HIATUS
1. Introduction

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

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><p><strong>So... I have writers block with my other stories and as much as I shouldn't be posting new ones until they're done, reading something is better than nothing, right? I have TONS of stories I haven't published because they aren't finished yet but whatever... so I'm just going to publish them anyway.<strong>

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><p>The Opposite Effect<p>

Chapter 1

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><p>Caroline had no idea how the hell this happened. It wasn't supposed to be possible. She had no idea what the hell she was going to do. She was supposed to be starting senior year in a few weeks time! She had no idea how the hell she was going to tell him. He was so unpredictable as it was so she didn't know how he would react. She gathered he'd either stake her or tell her it wasn't his problem. She was kind of okay with the latter because she figured it would be better to not have Damon Salvatore in her life for the rest of her life... but she was obviously afraid of the former though she genuinely didn't believe he would stake her. Since Stefan wasn't around... She didn't have anyone except Bonnie to protect her from Damon but she couldn't tell Bonnie before Damon. Damon might be a dick, but he deserved to hear it first.<p>

They'd gotten hammered on the night Damon was given the cure from Katherine. They'd gotten ridiculously hammered. They were both wallowing and somehow ended up wallowing together. Then one thing led to another and they ended up having sex. More than once. Okay... Three times. And it was amazing. She'd woken up next to a sleeping Damon the next morning and her head was pounding. She knew that a little blood would take away her hang over so she went down to the basement, got some blood then she even took up a blood bag for Damon, knowing he'd be hung over too. He woke up just as she went back into his room and he gave her a genuine smile when she handed him the bag. They talked for hours and Caroline thought it was quite nice. He was being really nice to her. They spent ages talking and he'd never been like that with her before... So when she realised how much she was enjoying his company, she got redressed, kissed his cheek then left... and she'd been avoiding him ever since. She couldn't go down that road again... but now eight weeks later... now she knew she was pregnant. With Damon Salvatore's baby. And she had no idea what the _hell_ to do about it!

She found out because she'd been feeling weird. She was a vampire so she never felt weird. Not physically at least. But she'd been feeling nauseated and her breasts were tender and she just felt weird. She compelled a doctor in the next town over to check her out. She laughed when the doctor asked if she could be pregnant. She said no but he insisted on scanning her abdomen just to make sure. He asked if she'd had sex recently and she told him she had then her jaw dropped when she saw the sonogram on the screen. She was definitely pregnant. He said it was a little early to guarantee a heartbeat reading but she wasn't too sure this baby would have a heart beat at all considering his or her parents were technically dead...

It took her five whole days after the scan to sum up the courage to go to the boarding house. She wandered into the house wringing her hands nervously and she could hear Damon in the basement. Perfect, she thought. She hurried down and before he could say anything, she shoved him into the cell, slammed the door and locked it. His jaw was dropped at the fact she'd had the strength to do that without a problem. Caroline noticed that she was a little faster and stronger than usual...

"What are you doing?" He asked her confused and a little shocked.

"I really need to talk to you." She said to him seriously.

"Then why am I in the cell?" He asked still confused.

"Because I'm kind of worried about how you're going to react." She admitted and he cocked an eyebrow. He gathered that she was worried he would stake her. Little did she know that Damon would _never_ stake her...

"Did you do something?" He asked her curiously. He wasn't really mad at her, if he were honest. She didn't know that because he was vervain free, he could easily break the door and get out if she didn't let him out. But he saw that she was really nervous and if this was helping her, he didn't really mind.

"Uh... well... yeah... but so did... you." She said awkwardly and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Caroline, you shoved me in the cell and you're telling me I did something?" He asked sceptically. She was kind of surprised that he wasn't remotely mad at her... Just confused.

"Please, Damon. Just this one time. Please, can you just... be nice? I just need you to be nice about what I'm about to tell you." She said and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Did you tell someone about us being vampires or something?" He asked her and she sighed.

"No, of course not." She rolled her eyes. "I learned my lesson and I'm never telling anyone ever again." She said and he sighed.

"Then what the hell is going on? You're asking me to be nice but you've been avoiding me for weeks and now have something to tell me that you're obviously worried I'll want to stake you over when you know fine well I'm never going to stake you." He said annoyed.

"I'm not worried you'll stake me." She rolled her eyes. She was kind of shocked to hear him say that he never would but she was too nervous to really keep that thought going. "I... I've been feeling weird. Physically... so..." She trailed off and took a deep breath.

"Just tell me, Caroline." He said confused.

"I'm pregnant." She said and his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He stared at her in shock unable to speak. "I... uh... like I said... I've been feeling weird... so I compelled a doctor and he did all these tests on me then as a precaution he scanned my stomach and... well... I'm eight weeks pregnant." She said and he just stared at her. "And... uh... I've only slept with you since I became a vampire." She said and he just stared. Mouth still gaping. Eyes still wide as saucers. "Are you going to say... anything?" She asked him in a whisper and he could see she was close to tears so he swallowed and got control over himself.

"Let me out." He said softly. She stared at him sadly for a second. She gathered she would open the door and he'd bolt.

"Okay." She nodded sadly then reached forward and pulled the lock then pushed the door. Damon stood just looking at her for a second then shocked her by walking right up to her and hugging her. He held her tightly and after a few seconds she returned it. She was stunned by his reaction.

"I'm sorry I gave you so many reasons to be afraid to tell me that." He said into her hair. She was even more stunned at what he said.

"So you're not... uh... mad?" She asked him and he pulled back and grinned at her.

"Are you kidding? This is amazing." He said with a huge smile and it was her turn to stare at him with her jaw dropped.

"What?" She blinked shocked.


	2. Blood, Names and Support

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

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><p><strong>AN: For some reason, ffnet won't let me reply to reviews. It's weird. So... Yeah, I know, I'm not really fan of the vampires having a baby thing either but I had the idea and just kind of went with it *shrugs***

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><p>The Opposite Effect<p>

Chapter 2

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><p>"Think about it. Two vampires being able to procreate? This is like... fate... or a miracle... or... I don't know but it's amazing anyway." He said sincerely and she was just stunned. "When did you find out?" He asked her.<p>

"Uh... five days ago." She said and he frowned. She'd waited that long to tell him? "Do you want to see the scan picture?" She asked him.

"You have it?" He asked happily and she was just so shocked.

"Uh... yeah." She said then opened her bag and pulled out her wallet. She took out the picture and gave it to him and he stared at it.

"Wow." He whispered and she was pretty sure she felt like falling over. "We're going to have to go to Canada." He said to her absently as he looked at the picture still and she gave him a disbelieving look.

"For what?" She asked confused.

"I know a supernatural doctor there. She'll be able to tell us more about this. I'm guessing that this won't be a human baby so I'm not going to know how to take care of you properly because it'll be different than a normal pregnancy." He explained and she was shocked all over again. He _wanted_ to take care of her? What?

"I gathered that, because the baby was moving in the scan but there was no heart beat." She said and Damon nodded.

"Can you move in here?" He asked her and her jaw dropped.

"What?" She asked shocked.

"Well, it'll be safer for you here. I can't protect you if you're living at your mother's house and since I'm sure something like this practically _never_ happens, this can't get out. Klaus can't find out about this." He said to her seriously.

"I won't be able to hide this the whole time, Damon." She said to him. She was a little hurt as she thought he didn't want people to know that he got her pregnant.

"I don't mean you need to hide it from everyone. I just mean outside of Bonnie, Elena, Jeremy and Ric. And your mother. I mean people you don't trust." He said to her and she felt her stomach flutter a little that he wanted them to know. He wasn't remotely ashamed of it... He seemed over the moon.

"Are you happy about this?" Caroline asked him as she stared him in the eyes and he smiled at her genuinely.

"Very happy." He said. "I'm sure I'm the last person you ever would want to have a baby with but I'll take care of you and the baby. I swear." He said to her and she actually felt a little better about it. Okay... _much_ better about it.

"I'm scared, Damon. I'm only eighteen." She said in a small voice and he nodded.

"I know. I'll do anything you want me to do, Caroline." He said to her softly. "I know you have no reason to believe me but I'll protect you and take care of you. Please let me be a part of this." He said to her and she nodded.

"He or she is your baby too. I'd never deny you that." She said and he smiled.

"Thank you. Can you move in here then?" He asked her.

"Are you sure about that?" She asked him sceptically and he chuckled.

"Yes." He nodded with a grin. "But we need to go get you checked as soon as possible. Have you noticed anything different? Apart from feeling weird?" He asked her.

"Yeah... I can't eat human food. The stuff repulses me right now and I can't keep it down and the smell of it makes me feel sick. The only thing I can keep down is blood." She said.

"Well, if the baby needs blood, I'll get you fresh blood. The bagged stuff isn't remotely as nutritious." He said.

"I've been drinking a lot more blood over the past few weeks. I'm starving like _all_ the time and I don't think I could fresh feed without killing right now." She admitted and he nodded.

"Well, why don't I go find a few humans, drain some of their blood into like a thermos and bring it to you that way?" He asked and she blinked in surprise.

"You don't mind?" She asked and he chuckled.

"Of course not." He replied with a grin. "Can I call that doctor? Maybe she'd be willing to come here instead? If you're having trouble with control?" He asked her.

"It would be nice to talk to someone that'll know I'm a vampire." She agreed. "If it's too much trouble for her to come here, I don't mind going there." She said. "I can control myself as long as nobody is bleeding." She said and he nodded as he thought about that.

"I'll ask her anyway. If she can't then we'll go there. The search for Klaus and Stefan stops now." Damon said and she was seriously shocked.

"Elena won't accept that." Caroline said immediately.

"Not my concern." Damon shrugged. "If she can't see that it would be dangerous for Klaus to find out about this, then she can fuck off." Damon said and Caroline was seriously stunned. "Also, we can't tell anyone about this until we've seen the doctor. Bonnie might see the baby as a threat or something and I won't take any chances with you." Damon said and Caroline blinked in surprise. "Wait..." Damon said hesitantly. "You do want to... keep the baby... right?" He asked her and she saw how desperately he wanted her to say yes.

"Of course. There was never any doubt about that." She replied and he grinned.

"Excellent." He replied happily. "Are you hungry?" He asked her concerned and she nodded.

"I'm always hungry, to be honest." She replied.

"Okay, I'll go out and get blood." He said.

"You're not going to kill anyone, right?" She asked him and he chuckled.

"No. I'll just find a few people to take a few pints from then bring it back here." He shrugged. "How much have you been drinking?" He asked.

"I've gone from one or two bags a day to three but I might have to up it to four to keep control of myself." She replied and he nodded.

"That's fine. I'll bring plenty back." He assured her and she smiled.

"Thank you." She said and he looked confused.

"For what?" He asked.

"I was feeling really scared and alone before I came here today and now... I don't. I feel like it'll all be okay." She admitted and he smiled.

"It will be." He nodded in agreement. "But you need to tell me if you need anything." He said to her. "If you need blood or pregnancy stuff or anything at all... just tell me." He said sincerely and she smiled.

"How about a hug?" She asked him and he smirked then hugged her tightly. He rubbed her back softly with one hand while the other stroked her hair. "You really want me to live here?" She asked into his shoulder and he nodded.

"Yeah, I do." He replied.

"Okay." She agreed.

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><p>Damon went out and reappeared twenty minutes later with five thermoses full of fresh blood. He told her that he would go out every day and get her more and she had to admit, it did taste <em>so<em> much better than the bagged stuff and she noticed after she drank some that she felt better. She didn't feel as nauseated and her breasts didn't hurt as much and she didn't feel as weird. She told Damon that and he was happy that she felt a little better. After she was full, he went over to her house with her and helped her pack up her room then drove her stuff over once his car was full and came straight back after unloading the boxes in the room next door to his in the boarding house. Damon spent the whole time thinking over every detail of this. He was convinced this was the best thing that had ever happened to him. When he was human, he'd always wanted to be a father and he kind of adored Caroline for making his dream come true.

It took three trips then he drove her to the police station so she could tell her mother that she moved out. Caroline told her mother that it was just better for her to live with Damon since they were both vampires and Liz was reluctant to accept that – which kind of made Caroline happy since she still cared – but she was okay with it eventually. While Caroline was talking to Liz, Damon called the doctor. He explained the situation and she was quite shocked but she had heard of a couple of other cases of it happening so she did know what to expect. She said she could come to them as she had portable equipment she could take with her. She promised to be there the following day and Damon was very thankful. Caroline got back into the car a few minutes after he got off the phone to the doctor.

"How'd it go?" Damon asked her as he started to drive again.

"I'm surprised that she actually gave me a little crap for it." Caroline smiled and Damon chuckled. He gathered she was happy her mother _wanted_ her to stay. "But she's okay about it now." She said. "Did you get a hold of her?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, she's coming here. She's getting the first flight out tomorrow morning." Damon said. "It's apparently happened before a couple of times so she knows how to look after you." He explained and Caroline looked surprised. "But because it's only happened two other times that she knows of, she can't really give us any kind of explanation for how it's possible, but she did say something kind of interesting. She said the other two cases were both with vampire and sire couples." Damon said to her.

"So... hypothetically... would this be... uh... possible again?" She asked curiously and Damon shrugged.

"Honestly, I have no idea. We'll ask when she gets here." Damon said. "She can only stay until the last flight out tomorrow so think over all the questions you need answered so you can ask while she's here. I'll do the same." He said.

"Have you been thinking about the baby a lot since I told you?" She asked curiously and he chuckled.

"I don't think I've thought about anything else." He said and she smiled.

"What do you want?" She asked him curiously.

"What do you mean?" He asked confused.

"Well, a boy or a girl?" She asked.

"Oh." Damon said. "A girl." He said immediately and Caroline looked surprised as she imagined Damon would want a boy. "You?" He asked.

"A boy." Caroline said and Damon chuckled.

"Do you want to find out when we can or wait for a surprise?" He asked and she smiled.

"I don't mind." She shrugged. "The surprise is kind of cute but it's practical to know so we can get clothes and have names planned and stuff." She said and he nodded. "What would go with Salvatore?" She asked him curiously and he kind of _beamed_ at her for saying that as he wasn't sure she would allow the baby to have his name.

"Well, you've had five days to think about this already so have you come up with any ideas?" He asked. She noticed that he was possibly a tiny bit hurt that she took so long to tell him but she'd had no clue that he'd be so amazing about it.

"Yeah, but I've only been thinking about boys names because I want a boy. Though I don't think the baby _is_ a boy." She replied with a small giggle.

"What do you like so far?" He asked curiously.

"Uh... Liam?" She asked.

"It's okay." Damon nodded. He didn't really like that much but he figured it could be way worse.

"Nathan?" She asked.

"He'd get Nate." Damon pointed out and Caroline screwed up her face and he laughed. Obviously she didn't like that.

"Never mind. Hunter?" She asked and Damon nodded.

"I like that. Hunter Salvatore sounds pretty bad ass." Damon smirked and she giggled.

"Yeah, I like that too. Henry?" She asked.

"Henry is kind of proper for two vampires' kid don't you think?" Damon asked amused and she smiled.

"Yeah, I can see your point. Dominic?" She asked and Damon thought about that.

"Hmm... yeah, I like that." He nodded. He thought Dom could be cool.

"Quinn?" She asked.

"It's okay." He shrugged.

"Griffon?" She asked.

"I do kind of like that but I knew someone called Griffon once and he was a total idiot so it puts me off a little. That and he shortened it to Griff." He said and she nodded.

"Yeah, I don't like that either. Have you had any inspiration?" She asked.

"I've thought of a few but if the baby is going to have my surname, if we have a little girl, Caroline should be her middle name." Damon said and Caroline was surprised.

"You think?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, I think that'll be nice." He agreed.

"Okay, well if we have a boy then he can have Damon as his middle name then." She said. "Like, Hunter Damon Salvatore." She said and he shrugged.

"If you like that." He replied.

"I do." She smiled and he winked at her. "So tell me the girls' names you like." She said.

"Lucia?" Damon asked and Caroline looked surprised. **(A/N: Said like loo-see-ah)**

"That's nice." She nodded.

"Bianca?" He asked and Caroline smiled.

"That's beautiful. I like that." She agreed and Damon smirked. He liked that one a lot too.

"Ivy?" Damon asked and Caroline thought about that.

"Yeah, I actually really like that. It works with Salvatore." She said.

"Paige?" He asked and Caroline shot him a look.

"No, that's awful." She said and he laughed. "There are like a million girls called Paige now and our baby is special." She pointed out and he smiled.

"Okay, what about Natasha?" He asked.

"No, one of the cheerleaders in school is called Natasha and she's a total slut." Caroline said and Damon laughed loudly.

"Okay, well I'm out of names." He smirked and she giggled.

"We have time." She said amused and he chuckled.

"That and if we decided now, we'd end up changing our minds in like a month anyway." He said and she nodded.

"Yeah, when my aunt was pregnant with my cousin, she was convinced her entire pregnancy that she was calling him Derek then when he was born she called him Troy." Caroline giggled and Damon chuckled.

"Troy? That's not even remotely similar." He said and she laughed.

"I know. She didn't even tell her husband. She just wrote his name down on the delivery forms then like two days later she was like, 'Why do you keep calling him Derek? His name is Troy.' My uncle was seriously confused." She said and Damon chuckled.

"I can imagine. Troy is kind of a terrible name." Damon said and Caroline giggled.

"Yeah, I know. It's even worse because his last name is Travis." Caroline said amused and Damon laughed.

"Troy Travis? Seriously? That sounds like a porn star name." Damon smirked and she laughed.

"I know. Poor kid." She said with a smile. She was really enjoying Damon like this.

"I don't want to worry you but the doctor said that your bloodlust might go through the roof." Damon said hesitantly and she sighed.

"Yeah, I've noticed that it's increased a little." She said. "What made you bring that up?" She asked.

"School." Damon replied and she nodded.

"I'm going to drop out. I can't be 'that pregnant cheerleader'." She said to him and he could understand that.

"Depending on what the doctor says, I think we should think about leaving." Damon said and her jaw dropped. He'd been thinking about it since they were packing up her room.

"Are you serious?" She asked shocked.

"Caroline, pregnant vampires don't happen. It's a well known fact. Klaus knows where we all are and he knows you're a vampire. If he turned up here in a few months and saw you pregnant... he might take you and there would be nothing I could physically do to stop him considering he's a hybrid." He explained.

"But what about the others?" Caroline asked shocked.

"Not my concern anymore." Damon replied honestly. "The only thing that matters now is you and the baby." Damon said and Caroline was stunned at how protective he was of her already. Stunned that he truly meant that. "Besides, us being here wouldn't actually do anything to stop Klaus." He said and she thought about it. Klaus could snap them like twigs and he was right... they weren't safe there. Mystic Falls was a hotspot for supernatural activity. Anybody could see her pregnant and report it to someone.

"Where would we even go if we left?" She asked him and he smiled.

"Somewhere small and secluded where we could easily sense other supernaturals so if there were any, I could take them out." He replied and she nodded. "But the 'where' is up to you." He replied. "Though it might be a good idea to stay near-ish to Gina the doctor, just in case." He said.

"How do you know this doctor is trustworthy?" She asked him bluntly and he smiled at her for thinking of that.

"I saved her life once. She always said if I ever needed anything I was to call. She's a supernatural but she's the type of supernatural that other supernaturals would normally stay away from because she's incredibly powerful." Damon explained and Caroline eyed him sceptically.

"What is she?" Caroline asked.

"You can't tell anyone." He said to her and she nodded. She couldn't believe how different he was being with her but she was so happy about it.

"I won't. I promise." She agreed.

"She's a fairy." He said and her jaw dropped.

"Fairies are real?" She asked shocked and he chuckled.

"Almost everything is real, Caroline. Fairies don't usually have anything to do with vampires because they don't like us. Vampires usually avoid them like the plague because they can kill us easily." He replied. "But I've known Gina since 1876." He smirked. "She'll make sure you're okay." Damon promised. "And she won't tell anyone about it either." He said.

"I trust you." Caroline nodded in agreement and Damon looked at her surprised but didn't comment. "If we did leave, would you want to get some kind of house somewhere or travel?" She asked him.

"Travelling while pregnant doesn't sound like it would be particularly comfortable for you so we could settle down somewhere." Damon said. "Where would you want to go?" He asked.

"Maybe a coastal town in Canada. Somewhere with a lot of nature." She said and he was a little surprised. "Though, the house has to have some kind of big comfortable bath tub." She said and he laughed.

"I can buy you a big comfortable bath tub regardless of the house." He said with a smirk and she laughed.

"Is that so?" She cocked an eyebrow at him and he chuckled.

"What about an enormous Jacuzzi so you can swim around in it a little?" He said to her amused and she smiled.

"Why are you suddenly being so different?" She asked him bluntly and he shrugged.

"You're the mother of my son or daughter so that makes you my number one priority. Aside from that, I do actually like you even if I didn't show it before." He smirked and she was surprised at him hitting out with all of that.

"What about after?" She asked him nervously.

"What do you mean?" He asked confused.

"After the baby comes." She said.

"I'm not going anywhere." Damon said to her honestly. "You'll never be alone, I promise." He said to her so sincerely it made her blink in surprise.

But she believed him. She completely believed him.


	3. Houses, Shocks and a Fairy

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

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><p><strong>AN: Don't know why I still can't reply to reviews but to nighfallsupernova: I'm sorry I don't know what the shanshu prophecy is. I haven't watched all of Angel. Tell me about it and I'll let you know if my idea is similar.**

**Oh and the Nova house is on my profile :)**

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><p>The Opposite Effect<p>

Chapter 3

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><p>Caroline relaxed for part of the evening in Damon's huge bathtub in his bathroom. The water felt so soothing against her achy body and she ended up being in there for <em>ages<em>. When she came out eventually, she was blissfully relaxed as she'd pampered herself from head to toe. She lathered herself with unscented tingly moisturiser, because she couldn't stand the smell of anything else, then pulled on her comfy pyjamas. She was surprised when she came out of the bathroom into his bedroom to find him sprawled on his bed looking at his laptop.

"Hey." She smiled and he looked up at her.

"Nice bath?" He smirked and she nodded.

"Yeah, that tub is great. It's so deep." She grinned and he chuckled. "What are you up to?" She asked as she towel dried her hair.

"Looking at houses in Canada." He shrugged and she looked surprised.

"Find anything?" She asked curiously and he nodded.

"I've found an _amazing_ house in Nova Scotia. It's awesome and it's right on the water though it's still only a short drive from the nearest town so it's not like in the middle of nowhere exactly... It's a private peninsula so we'd have private access to the water and our own marina if you wanted to get like a boat or something. And there's a boathouse with a mini apartment in the upper floor. There's an outdoor pool, a decking area, built in spa which you will no doubt love and a hot tub and it has four bedrooms." Damon described it and Caroline looked kind of shocked.

"Are you serious?" She asked in disbelief and his smile fell.

"It doesn't sound good?" He asked her confused.

"Damon, it sounds amazing." She replied and he smiled again.

"Want to come look at the pictures?" He asked her and she smiled and nodded. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to him and looked at the pictures. The place was enormous and it was like an actual estate. It even had a princess tower with a sun room built. She absolutely _adored_ it and she wanted to live there so badly. She could imagine playing with her child in the garden because there was a big open area and it was close to the woods and right on the water and so perfect. "So?" He asked her and he saw her stunned expression.

"You would buy that?" She asked him shocked.

"If you like it, I'll call and get it tomorrow for us." He nodded. "Because it's so secluded, we could live there for years without anyone noticing that we aren't aging." He pointed out. "But do you see all those open areas of grass?" He pointed to the picture and she nodded. "If we have a little boy we could set up some kind of sporty thing there or maybe like a playground for a little girl." He said and she actually grinned at him for thinking of something like that.

"Well... I completely love that place." She said to him sincerely. "But... I can't afford something like that." She said and he shook his head.

"You don't have to worry about a thing." He said sincerely. "I'll try to make sure you always have everything you want and need." He said and she looked at him confused.

"Damon... why are you doing all of this?" She asked him softly.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Normally when a guy knocks a girl up, they like, go to the doctor's appointments, occasionally buy them something to do with the baby then after the baby comes they give the mother a little money every month and maybe see the baby once a week or something. You're uprooting your whole life to move to the middle of nowhere to what can only be described as a mansion, and you want to live with me and the baby... I just don't get why you would give up your whole life like that." She said and he thought about how to word his answer.

"You want me to be completely honest?" He asked her and she stared at him for a second then reluctantly nodded. "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me so I don't see it as 'knocking you up'. It's a miracle, in my opinion." He said and her jaw dropped. "I _never_ thought I'd get the chance to be a father. When I was human, that's what I wanted most but I never thought I'd get it. You made this possible for me and I've been crap to you for so long and I'll never be able to make up for that but I _can_ keep you safe and I _can_ provide for you and I will. I don't see any obligation here. I could easily just do what you said 'normal' guys would do, but I don't _want_ to do that. I want to be there every step of the way and I want to do anything I can for you. It's not remotely because I feel like I have to. I don't think you understand how amazing I think this will be. But, it will all be on your terms. At the end of the day, you have every right to have reservations about me so I'll go with anything you decide. If you want to live at that house with the baby and don't want me there, I'll still buy it for you. I can live close by if you would rather that. Or if you want me to live there, I'll live there. I just want you to be safe and happy." He said and she was so beyond stunned. She had so _not_ expected this overall reaction when she was trying to tell him she was pregnant.

"As long as it's what you actually want, then I'd like you to be there every step of the way too. This is quite a daunting thought, being a mother, but all day you've made it so much better. I'm not afraid of it anymore. So if you want to live with me and the baby and be like a little family, then I'd like that." She said and he grinned at her.

"Really?" He asked happily and she smiled.

"Really." She nodded.

"In that house?" He pointed to the screen with a smile. Caroline could see that he really wanted it too.

"If that's cool with you, I think it's beyond perfect." She said.

"Then I'll call and get it in the morning." He smiled.

"What are we going to do about everyone here?" Caroline asked seriously.

"I thought about that, actually. I think we should tell Ric and Bonnie the truth. I don't think Bonnie would do anything to hurt you and since we're leaving, the baby would pose no threat to this town and I think that would be her only concern. I think we should compel Elena and Jeremy to forget all about the supernatural world because Stefan is ripper Stefan and he will probably still be ripper Stefan for a while after Klaus releases him. I've seen him do this before and he won't stop until he wants to stop. It's up to you if you want to tell Liz about it though. As far as the rest of the town, they can just think you ran away with me into the sunset." He smirked and she laughed despite the situation.

"But why would we need to compel Elena and Jeremy?" She asked curiously and he shrugged.

"Because they're Gilberts and they'll get themselves into trouble if we don't. That and I'll never leave you unprotected to come back and save them again so it's just safer that way." He said and she was stunned. He was choosing her over Elena. That had never happened before.

"Would we be able to have visitors?" Caroline asked and he nodded.

"As long as they never tell anyone where we are, I don't see any issues with that. I'd quite like to keep in touch with Ric anyway." He smirked and she smiled.

"You should tell him that he's your best friend. That would mean a lot to him." Caroline said and Damon chuckled.

"I think your pregnant brain is making you crazy." He said to her and she laughed and nudged his arm.

"Friends like him don't come around often, Damon. So, don't screw it up." She mock warned and he smirked.

"Alright." He winked at her and she smiled.

"You're going to be a good dad." She said softly and he blinked in surprise.

"You think?" He asked curiously and she giggled.

"Yeah, I do." She said and he leaned over and kissed her cheek causing her to smile in surprise.

* * *

><p>Caroline went to bed early because she was tired all the time and after her relaxing bath, she was so ready for bed. She chatted with Damon a little and they were getting along really well. Caroline loved seeing this other side to him. Damon realised that his walls were gone around her because of the baby. He knew that she could hurt him if he kept that up but he wanted to be in his child's life so much that he decided the risk was worth it. He couldn't be cold to her anymore. He couldn't pretend he didn't care anymore because he really <em>did<em> care about her. He had for quite a long time. She had to be able to depend on him. She had to be able to trust him. So he was more than happy to just be himself with her. His true self. If he wanted this life with her, the little 'family' that she mentioned... he had to make the effort. He had to prove himself. So that's what he was going to do. He couldn't change the past but he _could_ shape their future. He could be the best dad he could be. He wasn't exactly sure what he would be to her but they had time to figure that out. The baby was the focus for the time being.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Damon let Caroline sleep and she woke up just as he was getting ready to leave. He told her that he was going to the airport to pick Gina up and asked if she wanted to come. She declined as she wasn't feeling up to a car journey with her nausea striking at inconvenient times. He got her some fresh blood before he left then left to go to the airport after he kissed her on the cheek. Caroline noticed he was acting very un-Damon-like but she was enjoying being taken care of so she wasn't going to say anything about it. He picked Gina up and she was very happy to see him. They'd been sort-of friends for a very long time and Damon surprisingly trusted her. They arrived back at the boarding house about an hour and a half later and Caroline was watching TV, fully dressed with another thermos of blood. When they came in, she switched the TV off and went over to them. Gina could only be described as... well... what she imagined a fairy would look like. Pale skin and soft red curly hair down to her shoulders. She wore pale colours and had an aura of calm and goodness surrounding her.<p>

"Hello, Caroline, it is lovely to meet you. I'm Gina." Gina held her hand out and Caroline smiled and shook her hand.

"It's lovely to meet you too. Thank you so much for coming all this way." She said sincerely and Gina smiled at her while Damon locked the door as he definitely didn't want any visitors with Gina there.

"You are very welcome. Tell me, how are you feeling?" She asked her softly.

"Nauseated mainly. My body is a little achy and I'm a little dizzy. That and I'm hungry _all the time_." She admitted and Gina nodded.

"I came fully prepared." Gina smiled. "I have some herbs you can take that will lessen those symptoms so you feel more normal." She said and Caroline grinned at her.

"That would be wonderful." She said and Damon chuckled. He figured they'd no doubt get along well.

"First, I brought a portable sonogram machine so we can take a little look if that's okay with you?" Gina asked and Caroline smiled and nodded.

"Where do you want me?" Caroline asked and Damon smirked but decided against saying anything inappropriate for a change.

"If you have a little lie down on the couch, I can do it there." Gina said and Caroline smiled then lay down on the couch while Gina got the machine out of her bag. She went over to Caroline and rolled up her shirt. Damon went over and watched with fascination. Gina poured a little gel on Caroline's stomach then scanned her. Damon watched in awe as the scan appeared on the screen and he saw his child. He could see the tiny baby and it was breathtakingly wonderful. Gina watched for a few seconds then nodded. "Caroline do you mind if I use my abilities to do a further inspection?" She asked curiously.

"What kind of inspection?" Caroline asked and Damon chuckled.

"I can read the baby's aura and spirit. That way I will be able to give you more information than just what I can see on the sonogram." She said.

"Okay, that would be great." Caroline nodded her agreement. Gina's hand lit up with a bright light surprising Caroline then Gina placed her open palm on Caroline's stomach and she closed her eyes. She sat eerily still for a few minutes then smiled and took away her hand. She grabbed a wipe then wiped down Caroline's stomach to remove the gel. She put away the sonogram machine after printing out the picture then took a seat across from Caroline and Damon.

"After you called me yesterday, Damon, I did my research on this. I obviously already knew about it as it _has_ happened before but it is incredibly rare." Gina said. "Caroline, you are carrying what is called a 'born vampire'. Because they are born that way, they differ from normal vampires a little." Gina explained. "Your baby will be almost like a human baby, however, instead of milk the baby will require blood. Your blood and Damon's blood only at first. Would you like to know the sex? As otherwise I will keep having to say 'the baby' and it seems a little impersonal." Gina said and Damon chuckled.

"You want to know?" Damon asked Caroline curiously and she smiled.

"I can't not know now." She said and Damon smiled.

"Good, I don't think I could have waited _months_ to find out." He said and the two women laughed.

"Your baby is a little girl." Gina said and Damon grinned.

"Seriously? That's so amazing." Damon exclaimed and Caroline giggled as did Gina. Gina had never seen Damon so happy or excited about anything.

"You're totally blissed out right about now, huh?" Caroline asked Damon amused and he grinned at her then kissed her cheek.

"Completely." He agreed.

"I actually thought it was a little girl even though I wanted a boy." Caroline smiled at Gina.

"Gina? Is this like a onetime only kind of thing?" Damon asked her surprising Caroline.

"Do you mean will you be able to have further children at a later date?" Gina asked and Damon nodded. "I don't see why not, which brings me to the explanation I found. Apparently there is a spell that exists. The chances of ever completing the spell are slim but you two have done so, resulting in your baby." Gina said and they both looked kind of confused. "The possibility to create such a child exists only when the partnership mirrors the yin and yang. One soul is dark with only a little light. The other soul is light with only a little dark. This results in the perfect balance in nature and when the perfect balance exists, the natural rules do not apply, hence why a child can be made. However, to complete the spell, the two souls involved must share a blood connection, ie. Vampire and sire." Gina explained. Caroline and Damon were both staring at her kind of wide eyed. They had no idea what to say to that. "The child will be born of both the light and the dark and will be a friend to both, therefore, a born vampire will never burn in the sun. Children such as these are created for good. These children cannot be evil. They will have darkness in them but darkness does not mean evil. These children will have immortality, so you do not have to worry about that. They will stop aging when they reach half way between the age their parents died. With you two, for example, Caroline was seventeen when she died and Damon was 21, therefore, your child will not age past nineteen. Your child will not be able to be killed by a wooden stake to the heart either. She will not have problems with control like a turned vampire would as she will be born that way. She will develop quicker mentally than a human baby would but by how much, I do not know as there are not enough of these children to gain much information on their development." Gina said and they were still kind of... okay, _majorly_ shocked.

"Okay." Caroline managed to say though it was obvious that she was shocked.

"A human baby requires approximately 40 weeks development. A born vampire requires approximately the same for full development, however as you are technically dead, you will be unable to give birth." Gina said and both of them looked confused.

"Then how will she be born?" Damon asked Gina.

"I will deliver her by caesarean section at 36 weeks so there are no problems. I have a potion that will act as an anaesthetic so Caroline will feel no pain." Gina said. "Your baby is not human so she will not be affected by illness, she will basically be a vampire from birth. You should notice that you will become significantly stronger and faster physically while you are pregnant." Gina said to Caroline and understanding washed over Damon because of the cell. "It is natural for your bloodlust to be significantly heightened but the herbs I have for you will dampen that so that you are not a risk to humans." Gina explained and Caroline nodded thankfully.

"Will our daughter be at risk because of what she is?" Damon asked Gina.

"Honestly, most supernaturals would never believe two vampires could have a child. There are the odd exceptions but as long as you are careful and do not draw attention to yourselves, you should not have a problems. Most supernaturals would not be interested in the child until she was an adult and once she is an adult, nobody would be able to tell the difference between her and a turned vampire." Gina explained.

"What about Klaus?" Damon asked Gina. Gina's eyes widened a little.

"You have had dealings with Klaus?" She asked in disbelief.

"He came into this town and broke the curse. We were unable to stop him." Damon explained.

"Oh, dear." Gina said. "So he knows who you are?" She asked and they both nodded.

"He has my brother." Damon replied and Gina sighed.

"He will be able to find you with your brother's blood." Gina said. "Unless you can find a witch willing to help you create a cloaking spell. That way, if he ever attempts to use your brother's blood to find you, it will seem as if you are dead." Gina said and Damon thought about that.

"You can't let Stefan think you're dead. He'll never be able to cope with that." Caroline said to him softly. "He left to keep you alive." Caroline said and Damon sighed.

"I know. Maybe Bonnie can send him some kind of telepathic message saying that I'm not really dead." Damon said.

"Yes, that is possible." Gina nodded. "If the witch is powerful enough." She said.

"We'll have to talk to her then." Caroline said and Damon nodded.

"Perhaps it would help with me present?" Gina suggested.

"She will want to know what you are." Damon pointed out and Gina nodded.

"If she is powerful enough to create the spells you will need, she will know what I am." She said. "She will sense it." Gina added.

"How do witches feel about these children in general? She couldn't be a threat to Caroline, could she?" Damon asked Gina and Caroline watched in curiosity. She couldn't imagine her best friend hurting her but she kind of understood that Bonnie was a witch first and a friend second.

"Perhaps you and I should tell her while Caroline stays hidden until we can assess her reaction." Gina suggested.

"Okay." Damon nodded. "That alright?" Damon asked Caroline softly and she smiled and nodded. He got his phone out and dialled Bonnie's number.

"_Hey, Damon._" She answered.

"Hey, is there any chance you could come over? I need to talk to you about something but it has to be you alone. You can't tell anyone about this." Damon said.

"_What's going on, Damon?_" She asked worriedly.

"Please, Bonnie?" Damon asked her and Caroline looked a little surprised so she imagined Bonnie was pretty shocked too.

"_Alright, I'll be there in twenty minutes._" She said then hung up.

* * *

><p>Caroline was in the room she slept in the night before that they were dubbing 'her' room, listening. She ran up when she heard Bonnie's car pull up. Damon told her that if she heard anything that sounded like Bonnie was going to kill them, she was to run. He didn't think Bonnie would want them dead for this but it was better safe than sorry. She knocked on the door and Damon went to open it and let her in. She was surprised when he locked it behind her as the door was hardly ever locked.<p>

"Thank you for coming." Damon said to her sincerely and she was kind of surprised again. "I'd like you to meet Gina." Damon said as the two of them walked through. Bonnie froze in place when she set eyes on her, because she knew.

"A fairy." Bonnie said shocked and Gina smiled.

"You must be powerful." Gina commented.

"She is." Damon nodded then the three of them sat.

"Hello, Bonnie. It is lovely to meet you." Gina said.

"You too. I haven't met a fairy before." Bonnie said sincerely and she smiled.

"You aren't likely to meet one again." Gina replied. "There are not too many of us left." She said.

"Why?" Bonnie asked confused.

"Vampires." Damon replied. "Vampires killed a lot of fairies because they are so lethal to us." Damon explained then Bonnie glanced between them confused and they both laughed.

"We've known each other since the late 1800s." Gina said. "We would never harm each other." She said.

"Okay." Bonnie said not really understanding. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Bonnie asked Damon and she saw him hesitate.

"Have you ever read or heard of the 'born vampires'?" Gina asked Bonnie and Bonnie looked surprised.

"Yes. Two vampires able to make a child that becomes a beacon for good but I've never heard or read of it happening." Bonnie nodded. "Why?" She asked.

"Because I fathered a child." Damon said to her and Bonnie's jaw practically hit the floor.

"What?" Bonnie asked shocked. "With who?" She asked confused.

"Caroline." Damon said and Bonnie had to grab onto the arm rest so she wouldn't fall over.

"Caroline is pregnant? With a born vampire?" Bonnie asked shocked to her core.

"She is." Gina smiled. "A daughter. The baby girl has a pure soul. I saw it myself." Gina said. Bonnie was silent as she contemplated that and just as Damon was going to ask her to say something...

"Klaus can't find out about this." Bonnie said and Damon nodded.

"Klaus can find me through Stefan's blood. We're leaving." Damon said to her and Bonnie looked stunned.

"It is not safe for their baby to stay in this town where Klaus could come and take her from them." Gina said and Bonnie nodded.

"What are you going to do?" Bonnie asked Damon. She was kind of stunned that he was taking responsibility but she didn't comment. She was _also_ kind of stunned that they slept together and Caroline didn't tell her!

"We want to compel Elena and Jeremy to forget about the supernatural world. Ric and you are the only ones who we trust with the truth. Then Caroline and I are leaving town and we're going to go live in Canada in the middle of nowhere." Damon said.

"Are you two together?" Bonnie asked Damon curiously and he froze.

"Uh... well..." Damon said and Bonnie laughed at him being all incoherent. Damon leaned forward to whisper in Bonnie's ear. "Not at the moment but I'm working on it." He whispered and Bonnie looked surprised. Damon wanted to be with her? What?

"They are soul mates so it is only a matter of time." Gina said with a smile and both Damon and Bonnie gaped at her.

"Uh... what?" Damon asked her shocked.


	4. Teddy, Pillow and Spells

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>The Opposite Effect<p>

Chapter 4

* * *

><p>"Did you not understand that from my explanation of the spell? Your souls create the perfect balance. You are each other's perfect match." Gina said and Damon just kept blinking.<p>

"I think I might faint." Bonnie said in disbelief.

"You and me both, Judgy." Damon said and she giggled despite herself. Caroline was upstairs _completely_ agreeing with them... she felt like she might faint soon too.

"So what did you call me to ask me?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, we wanted to tell you about the baby... but also, we were wondering if you could put some kind of cloaking spell on us so that we can't be found." Damon said to her and Bonnie looked stunned.

"If I did that, I couldn't find you either. It would cloak you forever." Bonnie said and Damon nodded.

"But you would always have a way to contact us _and_ you would know where we are so you wouldn't need to find us magically." Damon countered. Bonnie contemplated that for a minute.

"But if you leave that means the search for Klaus and Stefan would stop. The search to find a way to kill him would stop." Bonnie said and Damon nodded.

"I'm going to have a daughter, Bonnie." Damon said softly. "I can't risk her or Caroline like that." Damon said and Bonnie _did_ understand that. "I'll keep looking for a way to kill Klaus subtly but it is no longer my priority." Damon said to her honestly and she nodded.

"That means if Klaus does look for you, he'll think you're dead." Bonnie said.

"Well... I was also wondering if there would be anyway to send Stefan some kind of telepathic message just to let him know I'm not really dead." Damon said to her.

"Yeah, but then he could tell Klaus." Bonnie said.

"It wouldn't matter because Klaus couldn't find us. You're the strongest witch in the world and you know it. He won't have a witch strong enough to break your spell." Damon pointed out.

"You have no issue then with Caroline being pregnant?" Gina asked her.

"No, of course not." Bonnie replied. "Why would I?" She asked confused.

"Come down then, Caroline, sweetheart." Gina called. Bonnie was surprised that she was in the house. She was surprised that they were worried Bonnie might not accept this. Caroline came downstairs and Bonnie saw she looked a little uncomfortable.

"You hungry?" Damon asked her when she stopped at the bottom of the stairs. She just nodded and Damon was gone in a blur then back seconds later with a thermos. Caroline gulped down the contents then handed him back the thermos and he disappeared again while Caroline went over and took a seat next to Gina, across from Bonnie.

"Sorry about that. I... just... you smell really good and I didn't want to take any chances." Caroline said to Bonnie who nodded in understanding.

"You're pregnant?" Bonnie whispered to her and Caroline nodded. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Caroline said. "I... I'm just a little scared about all this Klaus stuff." She admitted then Damon was back in his seat next to Bonnie.

"How are you feeling after some blood?" Gina asked her concerned.

"I'm just tired and dizzy to be honest." Caroline said running her hands over her face.

"Do you need more?" Damon asked her softly and she shook her head.

"No, I'm okay." Caroline said.

"Would you like to try the herbs I brought?" Gina asked her.

"How do I take them? I can't keep anything down except blood. Not even water." Caroline said.

"It's a tea but the herbs should allow you to keep it down, if you want to try it." Gina said to her. Caroline looked at Damon who gave her a small nod and she smiled at Gina.

"I'll give it a try then, please." Caroline said to her.

"Cold or warm?" Gina asked.

"Cold, please. I'm way too uncomfortable to drink anything warm right now." Caroline said with a grimace and Damon looked worried.

"Do you want anything else?" Damon asked her and she shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, Damon, thanks." Caroline said to him sincerely.

"Where in Canada are you going?" Bonnie asked.

"Nova Scotia." Damon replied quietly. "You'll have the full address before we leave including my emergency number since we'll need to ditch our normal numbers because they're traceable." He said.

"You have a full address already?" Bonnie asked surprised and Damon smirked.

"Yes, we have a house waiting." He said and Caroline looked surprised.

"You bought it?" She asked him with a grin and he chuckled.

"Yeah, this morning while you were asleep." He replied.

"I can't wait to see this place." Caroline smiled. "When are we leaving?" She asked him.

"The sooner the better." Damon replied.

"Swear to me that you won't just disappear and I'll never see you again." Bonnie said to Caroline as she got a little emotional.

"I swear." Caroline replied sincerely. "You'll have to come visit because I don't see Damon throwing me a mini-baby shower." She teased and Damon rolled his eyes while Bonnie giggled.

"Actually, speaking of that, can Caroline still drink alcohol if the baby is a vampire?" Damon asked Gina while Caroline and Bonnie looked at him in disbelief. Gina just laughed.

"Actually, yes. Alcohol would have no effect on the baby at all." Gina smiled.

"Why would I drink while pregnant?" Caroline asked Damon wryly and Damon smirked.

"Because miracles _literally_ happen when you and I get drunk together." He winked at her and they all laughed.

* * *

><p>Damon was lying in his bed and he could hear Caroline tossing and turning. She was clearly uncomfortable but he wasn't sure what to do about it. He couldn't sleep after the day of <em>crazy<em> they'd just experienced. Gina left late in the evening and she explained all the herbs to Caroline and answered all their questions about the baby and... Damon couldn't stop listening to her tossing and turning. He could tell she wasn't asleep. So, he got out of bed, left his room and knocked on her door.

"Come in." He heard her say softly. He opened the door and poked his head in.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" He asked her and she sighed and nodded.

"Today was just a lot." She replied.

"Understatement of the century. And I would know." He smirked at her and she smiled at him trying to make her feel better. "Want to come in and watch a movie?" He asked her.

"That would be great, actually. I'm exhausted but not that sleepy tired... if you get what I mean." She said and he chuckled.

"I get what you mean." He nodded. "Go on in and get comfortable. I'll go get some blood." He said and she smiled. She thought he was just being so sweet.

"Thanks, Damon." She said and he just winked at her then took off downstairs. She threw off the covers then wandered into Damon's room. She noticed he'd been lying under the covers on the right side so she got in on the left. She put the pillows up against the headboard so she was half lying down, half sitting up and his bed was _seriously_ comfortable. He was back seconds later and he smiled at her being all snuggled up. He hopped in on his side then handed her a thermos. "Thank you." She said.

"You're all uncomfortable and not feeling great and you will be for quite a while. The least I can do is try to make it a little better if I can." He said to her sincerely and she smiled.

"You are being seriously sweet, Salvatore." She said and he chuckled then kissed her cheek. She noticed he'd been doing that quite a lot and she liked it.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her softly as he sipped his blood bag. He was leaving all of the fresh stuff for her.

"I'm kind of achy but it's okay. The blood and the herbs are helping." She said and he nodded.

"What movie do you want to watch?" He asked her and she shrugged.

"Just stick on cable or something. I'm not fussed." She said. He grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels. "Can we watch that?" She asked curiously when she saw Jaws was on and he chuckled and left that on. He saw her set down her thermos when she was finished and he was done his blood bag.

"If you want." He smirked. "Where are you achy?" He asked.

"Everywhere." She replied. "But mostly my back." She said and he smirked. He sat up a little straighter against the headboard and she watched him curiously.

"C'mere." He nodded his head and she looked confused. He surprised her then by reaching his arms around her and pulling her into his lap so that her back was against his chest and she was sitting between his legs.

"What are you doing?" She asked amused.

"I'm going to try and make you feel better." He smirked. Before she could reply he put his hands on her shoulders and started giving her a soft massage and she couldn't help the little moan that escaped causing him to chuckle.

"That's amazing." She said closing her eyes. He smiled at being able to make her feel a little better. Her head was on his chest and she was finally comfortable. "Damon." She mumbled after a few minutes.

"Hmm?" He asked as he kept working his fingers softly into her shoulders and the back of her neck. He could already feel the difference in the tension there.

"If you keep doing that, I'm going to pass out." She said sleepily and he chuckled.

"Are you comfortable?" He asked her amused.

"Too comfortable." She replied and he chuckled.

"Get some sleep then. You need it, Caroline." He said as he softly stroked her cheek with one hand while he rubbed her shoulder with his other hand.

"Can't just sleep on top of you." She mumbled though she was nearly there.

"Goodnight, Caroline." He whispered and kissed her head that was just under his jaw.

"Night, sweetie." She whispered back then was fast asleep and he was surprised at her calling him that but it made him smile a little too. He saw how stressed out and uncomfortable from the pregnancy she was all day and he was just glad that she was finally relaxed and comfortable. He didn't mind the position. He'd slept in way worse before. After she'd been asleep for a few minutes, Damon stopped massaging her shoulders then just switched the TV off and put his arms around her waist and he was surprisingly comfortable too... so he fell asleep moments later.

* * *

><p>Caroline's eyes fluttered open and she'd had the best night's sleep for months. She was so comfortable and relaxed and her body didn't ache and... oh God! She was lying on top of Damon! She panicked a little and was about to move when she noticed his arms were around her waist. She couldn't believe that he hadn't moved her. He'd just let her sleep in the position she found so comfortable.<p>

"Sleep well?" She heard then tilted her head so she could look up at him.

"Best night's sleep I've had in months." She admitted and he smiled.

"Good, I'm glad." He nodded.

"I can't believe you slept like that all night." She said shocked and he chuckled.

"You're surprisingly comfortable." He smirked and she smiled.

"Your own vampire teddy." She teased and he laughed.

"Wouldn't that make me your vampire pillow then?" He asked amused and she giggled.

"It's kind of surprising you could even be a pillow." She replied before she could stop herself and he cocked an eyebrow at her weird reply.

"And what does that mean?" He asked amused.

"Just that... uh... well... it's... not like you're... uh...like soft." She said and he laughed at her incoherence.

"That made no sense." He said.

"Well, you know... you're all... uh... muscled." She said with a blush and he chuckled at her getting all embarrassed.

"Have you been checking me out, Barbie?" He teased and she laughed.

"Shut up, Damon." She said and he kissed the top of her head. He didn't know why he was being all mushy with her but he _really_ liked all the mush so he wasn't stopping until she told him to. "Are you actually enjoying snuggling?" She teased him and he laughed.

"Yes." He replied honestly and she looked up at him surprised.

"You are? Why?" She asked curiously and he rolled his eyes amused.

"You haven't moved either, you know." He pointed out with a little smirk and she giggled.

"I'm comfortable." She shrugged with a little smile and he chuckled.

"I can't believe we're having a little girl." Damon said softly and she smiled.

"It's kind of nuts, huh?" She said and Damon laughed.

"I hope she looks like you." Damon said surprising Caroline. She tilted her head to look up at him.

"Why?" She asked surprised.

"You know you're beautiful, Caroline." Damon said with a smirk and she blinked in surprise. "We're going to have to decide how we're getting to the house." Damon said to her, changing the subject.

"Will it take a long time to drive there?" She asked.

"About eighteen hours, probably." Damon said. "So if we drive there we can take our time and maybe stop in New York or Boston or something for a couple of days. You know? Just slowly head up there. Or we can get a flight and just get our stuff sent up in moving vans." He said.

"What would you rather do?" Caroline asked and he shrugged.

"I've been to practically everywhere so either way is fine with me. I just figured you might want to see some new places." He said.

"What are you going to do with your car if we get a flight?" She asked him and he smirked.

"She'll be brought up in a van." Damon replied and Caroline laughed.

"Well... I'm kind of worried about being stuck on a plane with so many humans in close proximity so I guess driving would be better. That and I would quite like to see some places." She replied.

"Oh, good." Damon smirked. "Didn't really want to leave my car." He said and Caroline laughed. "Think about where you'd like to stop then." He said and she nodded.

"Well, I've been to New York so Philadelphia or Boston would be cool." Caroline smiled.

"Why don't we do both then?" Damon asked. "It'll only take about four hours to get to Philadelphia from here then about another five hours to Boston. We can stay in each for a couple of days." He suggested. "Then we can either drive the rest of the way or get a ferry from Boston." He said.

"Ferry." Caroline grinned and Damon chuckled. "That sounds awesome though. You sure that's okay?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded.

"What about when we get to the house? What are we going to do all day?" She asked and he chuckled. "I mean we can't just hang out in the house together every day all day." She said and he laughed.

"Well, I gathered you would want to redecorate the whole house before the baby's arrival." He said.

"Yeah, but that'll take me like one day to figure all of that out." She said and he chuckled.

"You could take some college classes, if you want to. That way you'd meet people and get a chance to make some friends. Or once your second trimester kicks in, we could travel a bit since you'll feel a little better." He said and she thought about that.

"Is there any point in taking classes? I'd just have to give them up when the baby comes." Caroline said.

"No, you wouldn't." Damon said confused. "Gina said she can feed from me too so you can still go to college." He pointed out. "And if you're worried about leaving her with me, all colleges do part time study if you'd rather that." He said.

"I'm not worried about that." Caroline said. "You'd be okay with staying home with a baby?" She smirked and he laughed.

"Yeah, of course." He replied.

* * *

><p>Damon bought a little trailer box to attach to the back of his car for all of their stuff and he packed up his room and the boarding house of all of his things then he packed the trailer box. They were leaving Mystic Falls that afternoon and Bonnie assured him that Elena was vervain free apart from her necklace. Bonnie talked them into leaving Jeremy with the memories as he could just find out again because of the journals but if he knew, he could hide it from Elena. Damon gave Bonnie their address in Nova Scotia and his emergency number. He promised to text her his and Caroline's new Canadian numbers once they got them. She performed the cloaking spell on Damon then on Caroline and since they were both cloaked, Bonnie said the baby would be born cloaked too. After that she set up the spell so Damon could speak to Stefan telepathically.<p>

"Okay, it's done. Just hold onto this and speak to him in your mind. He can speak back to you the same way." Bonnie said as she handed Damon Stefan's journal that they'd used as the personal item for the spell.


	5. Stefan, Revelations and Vervain

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>The Opposite Effect<p>

Chapter 5

* * *

><p><em>Stefan? Bonnie's done a telepathy spell so I can speak to you. You can talk back if you just think your reply.<em> Damon said.

_It's good to hear your voice, Damon._ Stefan replied and Damon smiled at Bonnie and she understood that he'd replied.

_You too, Stefan. You alright?_ Damon asked.

_I'm fine, Damon. Don't worry about me._ Stefan replied.

_How long do you have to be with Klaus?_ Damon asked.

_Ten years._ Stefan replied and Damon winced.

_You should have just let me die, Stefan. I'm not worth this._ Damon replied.

_Yeah, you are. Ten years is nothing to us. It seems I still need my big brother._ Stefan replied and Damon smiled softly.

_Will he let you go after ten years?_ Damon asked.

_Yeah, he will. I'll come find you when I'm done with him._ Stefan replied.

_That's actually why I got Bonnie to contact you. She put a cloaking spell on me so if Klaus uses your blood or something else to look for me, it'll seem like I'm dead. I just wanted you to know that I'm not dead. It's just the spell._ Damon explained.

_So if he does that, should I act like you're dead?_ Stefan asked and Damon rolled his eyes.

_Well, duh, Stefan. I did this so Klaus couldn't find me. We've been looking for ways to kill him but we've had no luck._ Damon replied.

_There might be a way actually, Damon. Although he's an Original, he's only a just turned werewolf._ Stefan explained and Damon slapped his hand to his forehead in disbelief. How hadn't he thought of that before? _He's been looking for ways to increase his werewolf side._

_Genius, Stefan._ Damon said proudly. _I'll try to get you out of there as soon as possible. I promise._

_I can't go back to Mystic Falls if you do, Damon._ Stefan said and Damon understood.

_Because you're the ripper again?_ Damon asked.

_You've been tracking us?_ Stefan asked surprised.

_Seems I still need my little brother too._ Damon replied and he could tell that made Stefan happy. _I'm leaving Mystic Falls today, Stef, and I'm never coming back. I was going to compel Elena to forget about vampires. Do you want me to leave her with the memories instead?_ Damon asked.

_No, Damon. Compel her. She deserves a human life after everything. That and she never wants to become a vampire. We were doomed from the start._ Stefan said and Damon understood that.

_Okay, I'll compel her._ Damon said.

_Where are you going? What about Caroline?_ Stefan asked and Damon cocked an eyebrow at that. Did Stefan like her a little? Damon did **not** like the idea of that.

_She's coming with me. Does Klaus compel you?_ Damon asked.

_He got his witch to put a spell on me so I can't be compelled by anyone ever again. He said that if we were going to spend ten years together, he wants me to be able to trust him and I can't if I think he'll compel me. So no, he can't compel me._ Stefan said and Damon was impressed. _Though, I'm drinking vervain still, just in case._ He said and Damon chuckled.

_Good thinking, Stef. We're going to Canada but I'm not telling you where just yet. Once I figure out how to get you free from him, you can come live with Caroline and I._ Damon said.

_Are you together?_ Stefan asked shocked and Damon froze and looked at Caroline. What the hell did he say to that?

_Sort of._ Damon replied though it was a lie.

_How 'sort of'?_ Stefan asked annoyed and Damon rolled his eyes.

_I found out that she's my soul mate._ Damon replied and he could imagine the shock on Stefan's face.

_Seriously? Oh my God! Soul mates are so rare!_ Stefan replied and Damon smirked.

_Yeah, tell me about it. So we're not together now but we might be soon-ish._ He said.

_Is she cloaked too then?_ Stefan asked and Damon could hear the disappointment in Stefan's voice.

_Yeah, so she's not dead either._ Damon replied. _Where are you right now?_ He asked.

_New York._ Stefan replied and Damon frowned. They couldn't drive now.

_Are you staying there a while?_ Damon asked.

_No, we're leaving tomorrow. Klaus is bored of this side of the country. He wants to go to South America._ Stefan said.

_Are you flying there or working your way down?_ Damon asked.

_Flying. Tomorrow morning at 8am. We're going to Rio first._ He said and Damon thought about that. _Is there any way we can keep in touch like this? You don't know how much I've just wanted to talk to you these past few months._ Stefan said and Damon felt his heart clench a little.

_I've missed you too, Stefan._ Damon said. _I'll speak to Bonnie and see if there's any way to do that. Is there anything else you can think of? Anything we can use against him?_

_Well, now he's affected by both vervain and wolfsbane. I think the only way to kill him is by removing his heart but his chest is like steel. A normal vampire couldn't get their hand through._ Stefan said and Damon thought about that.

_I'll tell Bonnie and see what we come up with. I'll try to get you away from him._ Damon said.

_I don't want to go back to the animal diet, Damon. The blood... I need it._ Stefan said and Damon nodded.

_You don't have to go back to that. I always wanted you to drink human blood and you know it._ Damon said.

_Then what? I'm a ripper on human blood._ Stefan said.

_I know. We'll figure it out, Stefan. Don't worry so much. You have enough brooding wrinkles as it is._ Damon teased and he could just tell Stefan was rolling his eyes.

_Yeah, yeah._ Stefan said and Damon chuckled.

_We need to try and save some of his blood though. Just in case any of us run into werewolves again._ Damon said.

_He doesn't want anyone knowing about this but because you've had his blood, your blood will cure a werewolf bite too._ Stefan said and Damon's jaw dropped in shock.

_Does that mean I'm immune to wolf bites now?_ Damon asked.

_Yeah. I've had his blood too so I'm immune now too._ Stefan said.

_So anyone that has my blood is immune?_ Damon asked shocked.

_Yep._ Stefan said. _He even bit me to prove it and I just healed._ He said. _Then he bit another vampire and proved it by getting me to cure the vampire and it worked._ Stefan said.

_That's amazing._ Damon said with a grin.

_You'll need to give some blood to Caroline so she'll be immune too._ Stefan said.

_She's had it since then anyway._ Damon smirked as Caroline had bitten him when they slept together.

_Really? Why?_ Stefan asked surprised.

_Have you forgotten what vamp on vamp sex is like?_ Damon teased.

_You had sex with her! Why?_ Stefan asked annoyed.

_Do you have a thing for her?_ Damon asked amused.

_Yeah, why?_ Stefan said and Damon scowled.

_We are __**not **__doing this again, Stefan. Get over it. She's mine._ Damon said annoyed.

_I can't help it. She's amazing. And you said you're not together so she's not __**yours**__._ Stefan said and Damon rolled his eyes.

_Get. Over. It._ Damon said slowly.

_I can't believe she's your soul mate. That's so unfair._ Stefan said and Damon sighed.

_Katherine wanted you and not me so you can't say anything is unfair. This is not happening again, Stefan._ Damon warned.

_Fine. I'd rather have you back than fight over another girl anyway._ Stefan said surprising Damon.

_Then like someone else. _Damon replied.

_Fine. I will._ Stefan said. Damon was now worried about this on top of everything else because Stefan didn't sound convincing.

_Don't tell Klaus about me contacting you._ Damon said annoyed.

_Obviously, Damon._ Stefan replied.

_Good. I have to get going. I'll talk to Bonnie about contacting you again._ Damon said.

_Okay, speak to you soon then._ Stefan replied.

_I'll try. Bye, Stefan._

_Bye, Damon._ Stefan said then Damon put the book on the table and sighed in annoyance.

"What did he say?" Bonnie asked.

"One second. I need a drink." Damon muttered then went to the other side of the room and poured himself a large whiskey and downed it in one big gulp. Bonnie and Caroline watched him curiously as whatever Stefan said annoyed him. Damon drank his drink on the other side of the room so that Caroline wouldn't smell it as much since anything but blood made her feel sick. When he was done, he went back to his chair. He relayed everything Stefan said except the part about Caroline.

"That's amazing that we're immune now." Caroline smiled at Damon and he nodded.

"You've had Damon's blood since the bite?" Bonnie asked Caroline surprised and Damon smirked.

"Vampires having sex... think about it." Damon winked at Bonnie who blushed and Caroline giggled embarrassed.

"Okay... moving on." Bonnie said and Damon chuckled. "So he's weakened by vervain and wolfsbane and he can be killed by removing his heart." Bonnie said as she thought about that. "Damon?" She asked and he looked at her. "Hypothetically, if you were put in like a bath of vervain, would it eventually remove your skin and muscles?" She asked him and he thought about that.

"I don't know about muscles." Damon shrugged. "I see what you're getting at though." He said then he was gone from the room. Caroline and Bonnie looked at each other confused until Damon came back in with a clear bowl full of water and a box. He opened the box then fished out some vervain from it and put it in the bowl.

"What the hell are you doing?" Caroline asked in disbelief.

"Testing it." Damon shrugged and both girls' jaws dropped.

"You're insane. That'll hurt so much!" Caroline said shocked.

"Yeah, but it's worth it if we can kill Klaus." Damon replied.

"No it isn't!" Caroline said annoyed and he chuckled.

"A little blood and I'll heal. Stop being a worry wart." He winked at her. He pulled a little table over to where he had been sitting then put the bowl on the table and sat down... then he stuck his finger in the water and hissed but he kept his finger there. They watched his finger smoke and Bonnie and Caroline couldn't believe that he wasn't screaming out. He just sat there calmly.

"That time Stefan went in the well, his skin came off." Bonnie said.

"See? We know it'll work. Just stop." Caroline said to him.

"I'll stop when I stop, Blondie." Damon smirked. Just then Elena, Alaric and Jeremy came in. Their jaws dropped when they saw what Damon was doing.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ric asked Damon in disbelief.

"Testing a theory." Damon replied.

"On what?" Elena asked shocked. "Your skin is coming off!" She said concerned and he shrugged.

"Testing to see if the muscle will come off too." He smirked and they all gaped at him. "You're all drama queens. Just sit down and chill out." Damon chuckled. They took a seat and Damon noticed the look on Caroline's face. "Caroline? Go get some blood." Damon said to her seriously and she nodded then disappeared down to the basement. He would have gone to get it but then his experiment would have to start over and it was hurting like crazy so he really didn't want to have to do it again.

"So why do you want the muscle gone from your finger?" Ric asked him confused.

"I don't particularly _want_ it gone but if it works, then we can stick Klaus in a bath of vervain and wolfsbane until his skin and muscles are gone then rip out his heart." Damon smirked. "Then bye-bye Klaus. Problem solved. Tada." Damon said amused and they all understood. They still thought Damon was nuts for testing it though.

"How do you know he's affected by wolfsbane?" Jeremy asked.

"Stefan told me." Damon shrugged and Elena's jaw dropped.

"You spoke to him? When? How? Why didn't you tell me? Oh my God! Is he okay? Where is he? Tell me what he said!" She exclaimed and Damon laughed.

"That was way too many questions for me to remember them all." Damon smirked and she scowled at him.

"Stefan is fine. A ripper, but still fine." Damon said.

"What?" Elena exclaimed. "He's a ripper again? Why?" She asked shocked.

"Because that's what Klaus wants him to be." Damon replied and Elena looked stunned.

"So he's killing people?" She asked in disbelief and Damon nodded.

"By the masses." Damon replied. "That's what rippers do." He said.

"But... why?" Elena asked confused.

"He's flipped that handy vampire switch." Damon replied. "So right now, he doesn't care." He shrugged.

"Well... how do we get him to flip it back?" Elena asked concerned and Damon sighed.

"Elena, it doesn't work like that." Damon replied. "He'll only return his emotions if he chooses to do that. It's not something you can talk him into." Damon explained.

"I don't believe you." Elena said and Damon shrugged.

"I don't care if you believe me or not. Stefan said he's never coming back here even if we do kill Klaus." Damon said. "As far as he's concerned, you two are over." Damon replied and Elena's jaw dropped.

"How could he possibly think that?" Elena asked confused.

"Think about it, Elena. Really think about it. Stefan Salvatore is a _vampire_. He drinks blood, he has immortal life and you don't. You told him when I gave you blood that you would never become a vampire and you never wanted to. Why the hell would he stick around and watch you grow old and die?" Damon asked her and she blinked in surprise that he'd be so blunt with her. "So, he's over it. You should be too. Besides, his attention is elsewhere." Damon said to her with a scowl. He _really_ didn't like that Stefan had a thing for the mother of his baby.

"Damon, that's harsh." Bonnie said to him and he shrugged.

"What does it matter? She won't remember anything about it when we leave anyway." Damon said casually.

"What?" Elena exclaimed. "What the hell does that mean?" She asked him angrily.

"It means that I'm leaving town and before I go I'm compelling you to forget all about vampires." Damon said and Elena looked stunned.

"You can't do that." Elena said and Damon chuckled.

"Watch me." He replied and she blinked rapidly as tears formed in her eyes. "And don't start the waterworks, they don't affect me." He warned.

"You can't just compel us all to forget!" Elena exclaimed.

"I'm not. I'm only compelling you." He said and she looked shocked. "Ric is an adult who will make rational decisions and won't get himself into trouble. Jeremy is totally whipped by Bonnie so he'll do whatever she says. But _you_ are well known for your bad decisions so there's no way I'm leaving you with all those memories for you to go and do something stupid because I'm never coming back to save you ever again. And if you do something stupid to get yourself killed, I'll get blamed for it." Damon said and they all looked stunned he would say that to Elena... And that he _completely _meant it.

"I'm not whipped." Jeremy said annoyed and Damon laughed.

"You so are." Damon winked.

"You can't just compel me and disappear!" Elena exclaimed.

"I'm not disappearing. I'm just moving somewhere else." Damon countered.

"Are you going to keep in touch?" Ric asked Damon who nodded.

"You can even come visit me if you want." Damon said to him and Ric chuckled at his cheeky expression.

"Well... what about Caroline?" Elena asked him and Damon shrugged.

"She's coming with me." Damon replied and Elena looked like she'd been slapped.

"Why?" Elena asked confused.

"We'll tell you when she comes back from the basement." Damon smirked.

"You're telling everyone?" Bonnie asked surprised.

"Elena won't remember it anyway and she's the only one who would blab so I'm not worried." Damon shrugged.

"I would not blab!" Elena said annoyed.

"Yeah, you totally would." Damon smirked. Damon looked at his finger and was highly amused. He pulled it out and showed Bonnie. "Guess it works." He chuckled.

"That looks disgusting." Bonnie grimaced and he laughed. The vervain had eaten away all the flesh and his finger was just bone.

"Yeah, but it's kind of cool." Damon said amused then got out his phone and took a picture of his hand. They all looked at him like he was a Martian.

"Didn't that hurt?" Jeremy asked with a grimace.

"Yes, obviously, Gilbert. Vervain hurts vampires." He smirked. "But, if we can kill Klaus now, it'll be worth it." Just then Caroline came back up and grabbed his hand and looked at the finger.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?" She asked him in disbelief.

"Fine, Caroline. Are you?" He asked her concerned and she nodded then sat down next to him across from the humans.

"What the hell is going on?" Elena exclaimed.

"I'm pregnant." Caroline blurted and Ric, Elena and Jeremy looked stunned.

"And I'm the father." Damon smirked and their jaws fell open.


	6. Amoeba, Angelic and Compulsion

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>The Opposite Effect<p>

Chapter 6

* * *

><p>Elena looked hurt and furious.<p>

"Congratulations." Ric said with a small smile though he was obviously still shocked. Both Damon and Caroline laughed.

"You're the first person to say that." Damon said amused.

"Didn't I say that?" Bonnie asked. "I'm sorry. I should have. I am happy for you both though." She said and he chuckled.

"You knew!" Elena yelled at Bonnie. "When did you find out?" She asked shocked.

"Yesterday." Bonnie shrugged and Elena glared at her for not telling her.

"How is it possible?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"Long story short, apparently we're soul mates and vampire soul mates can have babies." Damon shrugged. Caroline saw that Elena looked truly horrified by that.

"That is a long story short." Caroline said to him amused and he chuckled.

"Soul mates?" Elena asked shocked. "I can't believe you slept together." She said and Damon shot her a look.

"I think I missed the episode where I said our personal life is your business." Damon said to her annoyed.

"Uh... I don't mean to sound like a dick... but uh... what exactly are you pregnant with?" Jeremy asked Caroline and both she and Damon laughed as did Bonnie.

"A vampire. They're called 'born vampires'. We're having a little girl." Caroline said to them with a smile.

"It's only happened two other times that we know of." Damon said. "There's only a record of those times." He shrugged.

"Will she be like an actual baby?" Jeremy asked and they nodded.

"What the hell did you think she would be?" Damon smirked. "A bat?" He asked and they laughed. "Because she'll be born a vampire, she won't have control issues with blood, she'll be able to go out in the sun and she can't be killed by a wooden stake. But it also means that she can't ever turn any humans into vampires." Damon explained.

"Will she stop ageing after a while?" Ric asked curiously.

"Yeah, when she's nineteen." Damon smirked. "Apparently it's the half way point between when I died and when Caroline died."

"But if she's born a vampire, then she won't have died to become a vampire." Ric said confused.

"Her biological makeup will be different than what we have. She won't develop organs inside her body the way a human baby would because she doesn't need any of them. She won't have a heart or liver or anything like that and her circulatory system will be a bit different. So she won't exactly be alive but she won't exactly be dead. It's kind of confusing if you think about it too much." Caroline said and they laughed.

"Please don't kill me for saying this... but won't she be dangerous?" Ric asked them.

"No." Bonnie said surprising the humans. "Babies born of two vampires like this, the born vampires, are actually beacons of good. It is not possible for them to become evil. I don't know how that works but that's just the way it is." Bonnie said.

"That's cool." Ric smiled. "Will she drink human blood when she's born?" Ric asked.

"No, she'll drink from Caroline and I. I guess that would be like giving a human baby cow's milk when they're born. It's not something she'll like until she's older." Damon explained.

"How do you know all of this?" Jeremy asked.

"We had a supernatural doctor check Caroline out yesterday. She explained it all." Damon replied.

"How far along are you?" Ric asked curiously.

"Nine weeks." Caroline replied. "Only 27 weeks to go." She grinned and Damon chuckled.

"That's only 36 weeks though." Ric said confused.

"The doctor has to deliver her early because obviously Caroline is dead so she can't give birth. It's in case the baby is ready to be born but can't tell us that since Caroline wouldn't get any kind of labour pains." Damon said.

"Makes sense." Ric nodded.

"Will she be born with fangs?" Jeremy asked and they laughed. He was just full of crazy questions.

"No." Damon smirked. "We'll have to drain our blood into bottles for her." He shrugged.

"Will her face be able to change?" Ric asked.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded.

"The doctor said that's how we'll know when she's hungry. Her face will change but just without the fangs." Caroline smiled. "But apparently she won't get her fangs until after she gets her baby teeth."

"Won't she be like super baby with vampire strength?" Jeremy asked and they laughed.

"No." Damon chuckled. "She'll be stronger than a human baby would be but because she won't be feeding on human blood until she's older, she'll be only barely stronger than a human of the same age as her. She won't actually have full vampire strength until she stops ageing." Damon explained.

"So we'd be able to be around her?" Ric asked and Damon nodded.

"She won't want your blood and you'll be stronger than her so you don't have to worry." Damon shrugged.

"Doesn't that mean though that she'll be out of control when she finally gets human blood?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"No. The doctor told us that we've to start introducing drops of human blood to her when she's about two years old and that'll slowly get her used to it and also give her the taste for it since she won't like it right away." Caroline explained.

"So she won't randomly bite people when she gets her fangs?" Ric asked and they laughed.

"She might bite us since we'll be her food source but not humans." Damon chuckled.

"What are you going to call her?" Bonnie asked with a smile. She was quite excited about the baby.

"We haven't decided that yet." Damon replied.

"But we both like Ivy and Bianca so far." Caroline replied.

"They're both nice. Will she be Forbes or Salvatore? Or a combination?" Bonnie asked.

"Salvatore." Damon replied with a smirk and they laughed at how happy he was about that.

"I think you should call her Bonnie." Bonnie said amused and they laughed.

"Then her name would be Bonnie Caroline Salvatore." Damon smirked. "That just sounds like you're both my wives or something." He said and they all laughed loudly at that.

"So Caroline will be her middle name?" Bonnie asked curiously and Damon nodded.

"Mmhmm." He said.

"His idea, not mine." Caroline pointed out.

"You don't like it?" Damon asked her curiously.

"Well, yeah but I'd rather it was something else." She said.

"Like what?" He asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Middle names are nice to name after someone." Caroline said. "Don't you think Christina would be nicer?" She asked him.

"After my mother?" Damon asked her surprised. Everyone else looked surprised that Caroline even knew his mother's name since none of them knew that. Not even Elena knew that and she was kind of furious that she didn't know that.

"Well, yeah. You love your mom. You said she was awesome so don't you think that'd be a nicer name for our daughter to have?" Caroline asked him. He smiled at her for that one.

"If you want." He replied though everyone saw he loved that idea. "Though Stefan might get pissed at that." He said.

"Why?" Caroline asked confused.

"Because he said when we were human that if he ever had a daughter, he would name her after our mother." Damon said.

"Yeah, well, you're having a daughter and he's not so he can just shut up." Caroline said dryly and everyone including Damon laughed loudly at her reply.

"You can tell him that then." Damon smirked at her.

"Well, he's used to me telling him to shut up so that's fine with me." Caroline replied amused and Damon felt a little surprised at her answer but he didn't let it show.

"Why?" Elena asked Caroline confused.

"When he goes on and on at me to go massacre innocent forest creatures." Caroline replied and Damon laughed at how she worded that. "And now he can't say anything since he's leaving body trails all over the place." Caroline rolled her eyes.

"You knew about it?" Elena asked Caroline angrily. Damon saw the change in Caroline's mood from amusement to one of annoyance.

"What good could possibly have come from telling you about it? What could you possibly do about it? Nothing. So I didn't tell you. So what? You didn't tell me about Damon and Stefan being vampires before I turned either so you can't say anything." Caroline said to her annoyed. Damon felt guilty beyond belief. So did Elena if her facial expression was anything to go by.

"I thought you liked being a vampire." Elena said to her softly.

"I do like being a vampire but I don't like hypocrites and I'm hormonal as hell and I feel like crap, so don't give me any bullshit today." Caroline snapped at her.

"You want some of that herbal tea?" Damon asked her concerned. He didn't like the thought that she felt like crap.

"Yeah, that'd be nice. The smell in here is driving me kind of loopy." She replied and he nodded then disappeared into the kitchen. "Sorry." Caroline mumbled. "I seriously don't get how I can still have hormones. I'm supposed to be dead." She said.

"It's okay. I'm sorry too. What does the tea do?" Elena asked her.

"It's a mix of a whole bunch of things. It reduces my blood lust. It makes my healing go faster so that my aches go away a bit. It stops me from being dizzy and feeling sick. It's magic that stuff. I feel so much better after it." Caroline said.

"You've been feeling sick?" Ric asked her surprised and Caroline nodded.

"The smell of anything except blood makes me feel like throwing up. I can't eat human food and the smell of it is completely _disgusting_ right now. Perfume, soaps, alcohol... everything." She said with a sigh. "It sucks." She added. "But the tea makes that better too." She said. Damon reappeared with a mug of cold tea for her as for some reason she couldn't keep it down if it was warm. "Thanks." She said to him and he kissed her cheek, surprising everyone but nobody commented. Caroline didn't let it show, but she was seriously surprised that he did that in front of everyone. She gulped it down since it didn't taste particularly great then put the empty mug on the table. She stuck her tongue out because of the gross taste in her mouth and Jeremy chuckled.

"Still as bad?" Damon asked her seriously and she nodded. "Think it would help to mix it with some blood?" He asked her.

"I don't see it being _worse_ than it already is, so yeah, that's probably a good idea." She said and he smirked then disappeared down to the basement and was back with a thermos for her in seconds then retook his seat and handed it to her. "I can't drink this here." Caroline said to him annoyed.

"Of course you can. You're pregnant and they all know you're a vampire. Who gives a shit if they don't like the look of drinking blood?" Damon asked her seriously and she rolled her eyes.

"Damon." She said.

"Nobody cares, Barbie. Just drink and the bad taste will be gone." He said to her and she sighed.

"Fine." She muttered then opened the thermos and drank a little as discretely as she could while Damon watched amused.

"Is that animal blood?" Elena asked confused.

"Nope." Damon replied.

"What is it then?" Elena asked.

"What do you think it is?" Damon asked her like she was stupid.

"But why'd you pour it out from a bag into a thermos?" She asked confused and he sighed.

"It's not from a bag." Damon said and Elena gaped at him.

"What?" She asked shocked.

"The bagged stuff isn't enough for her right now and the pregnancy heightens her bloodlust so she can't feed from the source without wanting to kill." Damon said.

"But... where did you get it then?" Elena asked and Damon chuckled.

"You really want an answer to that?" Damon smirked.

"So you're just... draining humans into thermoses?" Elena asked him appalled and he rolled his eyes. He'd already explained it to Bonnie so she didn't get annoyed.

"Yeah, so what?" Damon asked her.

"Damon." Caroline nudged him.

"What?" He asked her amused.

"You're making it sound really gruesome just to amuse yourself. Stop it." Caroline said annoyed and he chuckled.

"I'm the darkness, remember?" Damon smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Well use the tiny light part and stop being a jackass." She said annoyed and he chuckled.

"She didn't say it was tiny." Damon said amused.

"It's tiny. Miniscule. Amoeba sized." She said and he laughed.

"I'm not that bad." He said to her and she giggled.

"Have you met you? You're worse." She said amused and he smirked at her.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Ric asked them and they laughed.

"The soul mate thing has way more to it." Damon said.

"Apparently we're like a yin yang. That's what we were talking about. Damon is the dark part and I'm the light part." Caroline said and Damon laughed.

"She never actually said who was who." Damon pointed out and Caroline laughed loudly.

"You're so not the light soul." She said and he looked affronted.

"That's terrible, Caroline. You are so mean." Damon smirked and she laughed. "Bet your soul is totally black underneath all that blonde hair and bubbly attitude." He teased and she laughed.

"Yeah, well I don't see you being angelic deep down under all the layers of blood and sex and death." She teased back and he chuckled.

"So now you're angelic?" Damon asked her amused and she rolled her eyes. Of course he'd pick that part up. "If memory serves, you were no angel when we..."

"Oh, shut up." She said interrupting him and everyone except Elena laughed and Damon winked at Caroline.

"The tea kicking in yet?" Damon asked her and she smiled.

"Yeah, it's much better now." She nodded.

* * *

><p>"Please don't, Damon! I swear I won't tell anyone about the baby! Please don't take my free will away!" Elena pleaded as she stood behind Bonnie holding the witch to her in an attempt to keep Damon away.<p>

"It's not about the baby, Elena. It's about keeping you alive." Damon said in a bored tone. "You'll never accept that Stefan doesn't want to be with a human anymore and you'll end up doing something stupid like running after him or something. Stefan is dangerous to you right now. He doesn't have his emotions on and in the ripper mind set, he might think it'd be a good idea to kill you to remove any chances of his humanity coming back." Damon explained.

"Seriously?" Bonnie asked surprised. "So if he comes here again..." Bonnie trailed off.

"He said he won't come back here but if he does, he won't be bunny eating Stefan." Damon said seriously.

"He can't just come here and kill people." Bonnie said to Damon, hoping he would understand. Damon nodded though.

"I don't think he will come back here, but if he does, vervain him and put him in the cell and call me. I'll get him far away from Mystic Falls." Damon replied.

"You really think Stefan could be a threat to me?" Elena asked in a small shaky voice and Damon sighed.

"Yes, Elena. Not only that but... he... I fucking hate him for making _me_ do this." Damon muttered. "He's interested in someone else." Damon said to her and her jaw dropped.

"Who?" She asked shocked.

"Someone in Klaus' entourage." Damon lied. Caroline saw his lie and was a little surprised but she didn't say anything.

"So we're really done?" Elena asked and Damon nodded. "If I swear I won't do anything, can I please keep my memories? Please? I'll stay safe. Please?" Elena pleaded and Damon rolled his eyes.

"You've broken your word before, Elena. I don't trust that you won't do it again." Damon said to her and she was stunned that he would say that.

"How about a compromise then?" Bonnie asked. "Compel her to stay safe or something?" Bonnie suggested.

"You know what? Never mind. No compulsion. Bonnie, from this point, _you_ are responsible for Elena." Damon said seriously. "But, I am _not_ leaving Caroline and the baby alone to protect or save her, is that understood?" He asked seriously. "We'll have enough problems trying to keep our daughter safe without having to make sure Elena isn't off doing something ridiculous." He muttered.

"I'm not a child." Elena said annoyed.

"No, a child listens. You are a fucking nightmare to keep safe. So think about that, Bonnie. I either compel her or you take responsibility for her." Damon said annoyed.

"Damon? Can I talk to you for a second?" Caroline asked him.

"Yeah." He nodded as he glared at Elena then followed Caroline out of the room into the hall. "You okay?" He asked her concerned.

"Elena and I are friends but this is our baby we're talking about." Caroline whispered. "If you don't compel the rest of the stuff, you need to at least compel her to not tell anyone about the baby. She's too important to take a risk with." Caroline said and Damon nodded.

"You're right." Damon agreed. "Want me to compel her to forget about the baby or just not to tell anyone?" He asked.

"I don't mind if she knows because then she can come visit but she can't tell anyone that or where we are." Caroline said and he nodded.

"Okay." He said.

"I know you lied." Caroline whispered and he looked surprised.

"About?" He asked.

"About who Stefan likes." She replied. She watched his expression harden a little, as if he was preparing himself for something that would hurt him. She felt totally confused by that.

"It's you." He whispered back and Caroline's jaw dropped in shock. Before she could reply he walked back into the living room. "So?" Damon asked Bonnie.

"I'll take responsibility." Bonnie said.

"Okay then." Damon agreed. Elena came out from behind Bonnie and Damon ripped off her necklace shocking everyone and he stared into her eyes before she could say anything. "You will never tell anyone about Caroline and I having a baby. If anyone aside from the people in this room asks you about it, you will know nothing about the baby. You will never give out our address, location or telephone number to anyone without my consent. If Bonnie ever gives you a direct order starting with 'I order you', you will follow her order." Damon compelled then replaced her necklace and Elena glared at him.

"So you don't trust me." Elena snapped at Damon and he shrugged.

"I'm not taking any chances." Damon replied in a bored tone.

"You're letting Ric and Jeremy know without compelling them." Elena said annoyed.

"Yeah, well, Ric's my best friend and Jeremy would know better than to cross me." Damon said. Everyone looked a bit stunned and Caroline just smiled at Damon admitting that. "So they don't need to be compelled." He shrugged. Caroline gathered that Damon would definitely _not_ want to talk about what he just said so she decided to change the subject.

"Damon? When are we leaving?" Caroline asked him and he shot her a grateful look.

"Now." He replied. "Have you decided what you're going to do about Liz yet?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to say goodbye but I'm not going to tell her I'm pregnant yet." She said and he nodded.


	7. Goodbye, Jerry Springer and a Memory

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>The Opposite Effect<p>

Chapter 7

* * *

><p>The two of them said goodbye to everyone shortly after. Bonnie spelled Stefan's journal so that Damon could talk to him any time as long as he was holding it. Jeremy was visibly saddened by their departure and he just hugged them both then left the house because he felt himself tearing up and he really didn't want Damon seeing him crying like a girl.<p>

Bonnie and Elena did cry though as did Caroline and Damon gave the three girls some time with each other and he hung out with Ric and had a drink. He was so going to miss that. Damon was surprised at how the thought of leaving Elena didn't remotely bother him one bit. He hadn't thought about Elena once unless someone mentioned her since the night of his wolf bite. He found that odd but he was happy about that too. He didn't want to have feelings for her. He wanted to have feelings for Caroline and he _was _feeling things for her. He had been since they slept together.

Ric was the last to leave. Damon gave his emergency number to Ric and before Ric left, he told Damon that he was his best friend too and he'd be pissed if Damon just disappeared and he never saw him again. Damon smirked and teased him a little but Ric knew that Damon was touched by what he said. They would miss each other. Ric left the boarding house then at the last minute, Damon disappeared out the door and appeared in front of him at his car.

"Damon?" Ric asked surprised.

"I know you're planning to stay and take care of the Gilberts but... Can you think about turning?" Damon asked him and Ric looked a little stunned.

"What?" Ric asked surprised.

"After you're done babysitting... I... uh... want you to turn." Damon said awkwardly and Ric was kind of blown away that _Damon_ would care that much to want him around forever.

"Okay, I'll think about it." Ric nodded and Damon looked a little relieved.

"Good." Damon smirked. "Bye, Ric." He saluted then disappeared back into the house leaving Ric alone at the car. He chuckled a little then got in the car and drove away. Damon went inside and Caroline was smiling at him softly as she'd heard what he went outside to say.

"You're going to miss him, huh?" Caroline asked Damon and he shrugged then sat down next to her on the couch but down a bit to give her space. "What's wrong?" She asked him seeing his expression.

"If this plan to kill Klaus works... you could come back here. If we manage to kill Klaus, there's nothing we couldn't battle." Damon said to her. She felt a little confused. She'd been under the impression that they were spending the foreseeable future in Nova Scotia at the new house.

"I thought we were going to be living in Canada for years? You said that we could be there for years without anybody noticing that we aren't aging." She said and he shrugged. He'd noticed how sad she was about leaving her friends and he didn't want her to feel sad.

"I saw how upset you were at leaving Bonnie. I don't want you to be unhappy." He said quietly and Caroline's stomach fluttered a little at the sincerity of what he said.

"You have to remember that I'm also hormonal. The past few weeks, I've cried over things that are completely not worth crying over. Just because I'm going to miss my friends, doesn't mean I don't _want_ to live in Canada." She explained.

"But with Klaus dead, you wouldn't _need_ to basically live in hiding." He said to her and she nodded.

"Well, if you want to go somewhere else once he's dead then I'll go with you... you know... if you want me to." She replied and he looked surprised.

"You wouldn't want to come back here?" Damon asked confused.

"Actually, no. I don't want our daughter anywhere near this town. If it's not one thing, it's another here and honestly, I hate it here. I used to spend the summers with my grandmother in a coastal town kind of like the place we're moving to and I've always wanted to live somewhere like that. So this place we're going is kind of like a dream to me. I just thought somewhere like that would be perfect for our daughter to grow up in." She explained. "But we can always leave after Klaus is dead if you'd rather live somewhere else." She said. Damon felt like a jackass but he had to get all of this straightened out before they left...

"Have you thought about what I told you?" Damon asked her and she had a blank look. "About Stefan." He said.

"Oh." She said. "I think you're going to have to give me the details of that, you know, because that seems kind of ridiculous." She said and he looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"He told me that I remind him of Lexi so I don't understand how that means he likes me since he said they were always just friends." Caroline said.

"First, you're nothing like Lexi. Lexi was a stuck up bitch who thought she knew everything about everything and you're not remotely like that. Second, he admitted it to me when I spoke to him." Damon said and Caroline looked kind of stunned.

"Well, that's awkward." She blurted and Damon didn't dare to hope though her reply made him want to. "What did you say to that?" She asked him and he cursed himself for not thinking of an answer to that before starting this discussion.

"I told him the soul mate thing and he was pissed." Damon shrugged.

"Why did you tell him that?" She asked confused.

"Because I can hardly tell him while he's with Klaus that you're pregnant with _my_ baby, can I?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess." She nodded.

"So?" He asked bracing himself.

"So what?" She asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, do you like him back?" Damon asked and Caroline stared at Damon in disbelief for a good twenty seconds.

"Are you like... fucking insane?" She asked him and he chuckled a little. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard her swear and he was totally amused by her reply.

"Possibly." He nodded.

"Damon, this isn't Jerry Springer. I'm not going to have your baby then go out with your brother." She said dryly and he laughed at her reply. "But no, I don't see Stefan that way. I kind of saw him like a big brother type figure and I'll admit I'm a _teeny_ bit grossed out that he sees me as more than that because honestly? There isn't enough of that herbal tea to make me not feel sick at the thought of that." She said with a grimace and Damon laughed loudly at her reply.

"I wish I'd recorded you saying that. That was hilarious." Damon said to her amused.

"Besides, I'll leave the brothers thing to the doppelgangers." Caroline said and Damon smiled at her fondly for that comment then kissed her cheek. "Not that I don't like it, but why do you keep kissing me?" She asked curiously and he chuckled.

"You're the mother of my daughter, am I not allowed to?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess." She replied.

"Do you want me to stop?" Damon asked her hesitantly. She saw that he clearly didn't want to stop.

"No, I'm quite enjoying all the affection actually." She smirked and he chuckled. He was quite happy with her answer.

"What am I going to call you?" He asked her curiously and she looked at him confused.

"When?" She asked.

"Well, if I introduced you to someone, what would I say that you are?" He asked. "And since you're right that it's not Jerry Springer, do _not_ say 'baby mama'." He smirked and she laughed at Damon of all people saying that.

"Well... don't you think we should talk about what we've been avoiding talking about?" She asked him.

"The elephant in the room lets out a mighty roar." He smirked and she laughed. "You mean the soul mate thing?" He asked and she nodded. "Honestly? I think that's an awful lot of pressure to put on us right away so I don't think we should think about that. That being said... I do like you. I do care about you. But I want to know why you avoided me after we slept together." He said to her sincerely. "We actually talked the morning after for hours and I did call you but you didn't call me back." He said.

"Well... I... I'm not one for sleeping around normally." She said honestly. "With you that seems to go out the window but I'm not into the 'fuck buddy' thing and I figured that you'd either act like nothing happened or you'd want some kind of casual sex arrangement so I thought that if I just didn't see you at all... then neither of those things could happen." She said and he could see that she was telling the truth. He also felt really badly because she was just as worried about getting rejected as he was... The difference was she hadn't treated him badly _ever_ but he _had_ treated her badly... so he was going to have to make the effort.

"That's not why I called." He replied honestly and his tone came out a little softer than he meant it to and she looked surprised.

"Also... I couldn't deal with being an Elena stand in or distraction. I'd rather be single forever than be with someone who wants someone else." She said bluntly and he kind of felt _seriously awful_.

"I don't want Elena." He said to her and she was kind of shocked at what he said and _how_ he said it. "I haven't wanted Elena since the night I snapped Jeremy's neck, if I'm being honest. And if I'm being completely honest again, I haven't ever wanted Elena for Elena. Elena was a Katherine stand in for me just like she was for Stefan. When you spend so long thinking the person you loved and who loved you is trapped in a tomb... It doesn't help that her carbon copy was right there being all flirty and acting the same way. The reason I got hammered the night Katherine brought the cure was because Elena admitted she had feelings for me then kissed me when I was dying. I realised then that she was a Katherine stand in because she was exactly the same. When she kissed me, she thought I was going to die so nobody would ever know that she admitted what I knew all along. The reason I got hammered was because I saw on Elena's face that she regretted that I survived." Damon said and Caroline's jaw fell open in shock. "So I told her to leave me alone then I got hammered. You might not believe me... But I was actually thinking about you after I got drunk." He said and she looked stunned. "Then you came by to check on me..."

* * *

><p>*Flashback*<p>

_Damon changed the bedding in his room then wandered downstairs and put his music on in the living room. He was sprawled on the couch with a bottle of bourbon as he stared at the ceiling. He couldn't believe how much of an idiot he was for thinking he had real feelings for Elena. It was all about Katherine! He was so convinced it wasn't but it totally was! He never gave himself time to get over Katherine. He never gave himself any kind of time to just be hurt. He just shut it out and he'd made such a mess because of it. She wasn't worth it. Neither of the doppelgangers was worth it. Sure they were pretty but he was starting to really question his sanity. Katherine caused nothing but chaos in his life. Elena caused him nothing but pain. Why on earth would anyone want either of them? He didn't. He didn't want them anymore. He knew that even though he'd told Elena that he loved her... Now he knew it was a lie. He didn't love her. He was just an idiot and confused his feelings. He'd gone without them for so long that he'd forgotten the difference between being in love and giving a crap if someone died._

_If anything, all of the drama made him realise that he didn't want to be alone anymore. He __**wanted**__ to find someone. He wanted to meet a nice girl that he could love and be happy with. If he thought about it, he figured that Caroline would be perfect for him. Sure, she would drive him crazy with the bubbly personality but he was pretty sure she was perfect regardless of that. He remembered how she was with him when they had their 'thing' when he arrived in Mystic Falls. She'd been so lovely and caring and beyond beautiful... if he'd had his emotions on at the time, he would have fallen head over heels for her. He wondered if he could ever make up for what he did to her... He wondered if he could ever get her to care about him again. He figured he would have to act fast considering the wolf was around though he hoped her human showing up with a shot gun would put her off going down that path again. He remembered how jealous he'd been when he saw her with him the night they opened the tomb. He'd wanted to kill that human boy just for that. It had surprised him at the time but he'd been distracted after that by Katherine not being in the tomb so he didn't dwell on it. Then he remembered how worried he'd been about her spending time with that wolf. He joked once to Elena that if he bit her he'd be rid of her... but he'd been so worried about her that night. He'd cared about her before he ever cared about Elena. He'd tried to kill her because she was bringing his humanity back. He hoped if he was extra nice to her maybe she would consider it. Just then the door to the boarding house opened and... she walked in. He actually smiled at her which he saw surprised her._

"_Hey, Blondie." He said happily._

"_Thank God! I was so worried!" She said sincerely as she walked in the living room. He was surprised at that. He thought out of everyone, she'd be the most likely to want him dead._

"_What can I do for you, Caroline?" He asked curiously and she looked confused._

"_Nothing. I just came to check on you." She replied. "I didn't find out until like five minutes ago that Tyler bit you." She said._

"_You didn't know?" He asked surprised._

"_No and I'm totally furious! How could nobody tell me that?" She asked annoyed._

"_Who told you?" Damon asked surprised that she gave a crap._

"_Tyler!" She exclaimed. "I was over there checking on his gunshot wound and he was like, 'is Damon dead yet?' and I asked him what the hell he was talking about and he told me then I socked him and ran here." She said and Damon buckled over with laughter._

"_You punched Lockwood?" He asked in disbelief with a huge grin on his face._

"_He bit you! He's lucky I didn't snap his neck!" Caroline exclaimed. Damon jumped to his feet then hugged her much to her surprise. She hugged him back though because she was just so relieved that he was okay. Tyler told her that he was bitten on the arm and since he was wearing a t-shirt she could see his arms were both fine so she figured he'd gotten some sort of cure._

"_You just completely made my day." He said to her with a smile as he pulled away and she giggled._

"_Happy to be of service." She did a little mocking curtsey and he laughed. He noticed that his foul mood was completely gone. He was always in a better mood with her around. He noticed that he always felt happy in her presence and he didn't want her to leave._

"_Want to stay and get hammered with me?" He asked and she looked surprised._

"_It depends." She replied and he smirked._

"_On?" He asked._

"_If you want to get like 'drown your sorrows' hammered or 'hyper dancing around like a loon' hammered." She said and he laughed._

"_Which one would you stay for?" He asked amused and she grinned._

"_The latter." She said and he laughed._

"_Then we'll get 'hyper dancing around like a loon' hammered." He smirked and she giggled. She was surprised that he obviously wanted her to stay._

"_Excellent." She smirked. "Though I'm not drinking bourbon tonight. Let's make crazy cocktails that'll have us so drunk we're hallucinating or something." She said and he laughed._

"_Well, Stefan left a couple of cases of Red Bull in the basement since the bunny diet doesn't give him enough energy." Damon smirked and she grinned._

_They found a huge punch bowl and poured in two bottles of vodka, a bottle of Bacardi, a bottle of raspberry schnapps that Stefan had in his room for Elena and filled it up with plenty of Red Bull. Damon downed the rest of the bottle of bourbon he'd been drinking from, while Caroline got started on the punch. Damon was already half way there when Caroline showed up so it wasn't long before he was completely wasted. Caroline was downing glass after glass of the makeshift cocktail because not only was it tasty, it was getting her drunk and fast. Damon started on the punch not long after her and he was surprised that it actually didn't taste like crap. It wasn't long before the party tunes were blaring and he dipped the lights in the living room then the two of them were dancing about with each other because they were completely wasted. Caroline was surprised at just how much fun she was having __**and**__ how awesome Damon was being. After a couple of hours, Damon was ballroom dancing her around the living room and they were both laughing and stumbling and it was kind of ridiculous. In her drunkenness, Caroline tripped and ended up knocking Damon onto his back on the floor and she landed right on top of him and they both laughed._

"_You didn't need to cause a fall just to get on top of me, Blondie." He teased and she laughed._

"_Shut up, Damon." She said amused but they both noticed that the other hadn't tried to move yet. Damon moved his hand up and tucked one of her curls behind her ear and she was surprised at the little affectionate gesture._

"_You really are beautiful." He said to her softly and she didn't know why she did it but she leaned forward and kissed him. Damon was surprised because he was just about to do the same thing. He cupped her cheek and kissed her back. He felt something while he kissed her... There was a major spark. He was drunk and she was so fantastic and he knew where this would lead if he didn't stop... He flipped their positions so she was pinned to the floor and she looked surprised. "You should go." He said to her softly and she looked a little hurt._

"_Why?" She asked confused._

"_Because I won't be able to stop if you stay." He said to her seriously and the hurt look faded to one of surprise._

"_And if I don't go?" She asked curiously._

"_Then you'll be on my bed in about ten seconds." He replied bluntly and she smirked. He liked that cheeky face._

"_I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" She asked amused and he chuckled._

"_I'll make sure you don't." He winked at her and she giggled._

"_Hasn't it been ten seconds yet?" She asked amused and he smirked then too fast for her to track, he sped her up to his room and she was pinned to his bed._

_Damon rolled to the side of her as they both panted to catch their breath... even though neither __**normally**__ needed breath... but that had been fucking spectacular. Damon stared at the ceiling... SHOCKED. That was the best sex he'd ever had and he was stunned beyond belief._

"_Jesus Christ, Caroline." Damon said and she giggled._

"_Think you read my mind." She replied and he glanced at her and smirked._

"_So you don't regret staying?" He asked her with a cheeky glint in his eye and she laughed._

"_Not at the moment, no." She replied amused._

"_You think you will when you sober up?" He asked her curiously and she saw that he hoped she wouldn't regret it – which she thought was kind of weird._

"_It depends." She shrugged._

"_On?" He asked._

"_Why you asked me to stay and get drunk with you." She replied and he saw that she was worried he was using her again._

"_Honestly?" He asked her and she nodded but he noticed that she was bracing herself and he felt like such a jackass. "Because you're the only person that makes me laugh." He replied and she looked kind of shocked. "You're like the sunshine in an otherwise dark and gloomy day." He added and she couldn't help smiling at that. She thought that might have been the nicest thing anyone had ever said about her._

"_Then no, I won't regret it." She replied and he smiled._

"_Could I interest you in round 2?" He asked and she laughed._

"_If it's anything like round 1... Knock yourself out." She smirked and he laughed then crashed his lips to hers._

* * *

><p>*Present*<p>

"You were thinking about me when I showed up?" She asked surprised and Damon nodded. "What were you thinking?" She asked hesitantly and he took a second before replying. He was never normally this forward about things like this but if he wanted a chance he was going to have to put himself out there... even if she laughed in his face and told him it was never going to happen.

"I was wondering to myself if I was extra nice to you if you'd ever forgive me and give me a chance to make up my terrible past behaviour." He replied and she blinked rapidly as she comprehended that.

"What did you call me to say?" She asked and he knew he deserved her hesitation.

"I was calling to ask you out actually." Damon replied and she was seriously surprised. She hadn't expected that at all.

"Oh." She replied. "Do you still want that?" She asked.

"To have a real shot with you?" He asked and she nodded. "Yes." He replied honestly and she thought about it a moment. He _had_ been amazing to her from the second he found out about her pregnancy. He _had_ been really nice to her every time he saw her since they slept together including the morning after. She knew he was different now than he was then but he was still a bad boy and a womanizer and she just wasn't sure. She realised that he'd only called once because he obviously thought she regretted sleeping with him and thought she was rejecting him.

"You'd have to mean it." She replied shyly. "This time there's a baby involved." She said and he felt like the world's biggest jackass all over again.

"I mean it." He replied. "I told you about all of that just so you know that this isn't because you're pregnant." He said. "But... I think Stefan, despite what he said, will still pursue you." Damon admitted reluctantly and she looked a little horrified considering Stefan would be her baby's uncle.

"Are you worried about that? That I'll want Stefan?" She asked him bluntly and it was obvious he wasn't prepared for her to be so blunt.

"Yes." He nodded. "And that would be worse for me than anything that happened before." He admitted. She was a little shocked that he was being so open and honest about how he felt but she gathered that he felt he had to be honest and open if he wanted her. She reached forward and took his hand which obviously surprised him but he held her hand back as he waited for her reply.

"Stefan is sort of my friend so I do care about him but I don't find him remotely attractive and nine times out of ten when I see him I usually end up wanting to slap him." Caroline said and Damon chuckled at that. "You were honest with me so I should really be honest with you..." She said then stared Damon right in the eyes. "There will only ever be one Salvatore brother for me." She said sincerely and Damon smiled then cupped her cheek and kissed her.


	8. A Bath, Melting and Common Interests

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>The Opposite Effect<p>

Chapter 8

* * *

><p>They drove to Philadelphia that afternoon and arrived in late so they just checked into their hotel room. Damon had gotten them the Presidential suite at the Four Seasons because he'd looked at hotels online and saw that the suite had a really large sunken bath tub and he thought that would be comfortable for her.<p>

The following morning, Caroline woke up and noticed that Damon wasn't beside her though she could still smell him so she gathered he wasn't long up. She reluctantly got out of bed and her back ached and she was uncomfortable and she felt nauseated and honestly her emotions were all over the place. She didn't feel in control of her own body and she was sure the slightest thing was going to make her cry. She really hoped not. She didn't want to be a blubbering idiot. She walked into the living room of the beautiful suite and saw Damon reading the newspaper. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Morning." He said.

"Morning." She replied but he saw the look on her face.

"Uncomfortable, huh?" He asked concerned and she nodded. "I figured you would be, so..." He smirked then stood up and took her hand. He led her into the bathroom and she saw that he'd ran her a bubble bath in the enormous tub. "Apparently it's really common for pregnant women to be sensitive to smell so I managed to find some unscented bubble bath." He said to her and she stared at the tub. It was so sweet. It was beyond thoughtful. As if she wasn't emotional enough already... Her eyes watered without her being able to stop it and a tear broke through and fell down her cheek. Damon was instantly concerned and brushed away her tear lightly with his thumb. "Are you okay?" He asked her softly and she nodded.

"I'm sorry. I woke up with my emotions all over the place." She said as a couple more tears fell. Damon had read _everything_ he could find online about pregnancy and he knew that the hormones would be taking over her emotions and the random crying was part of it and he read that it was really difficult for the mother-to-be to cope with it so he pulled her into him and hugged her gently and she hugged him back. "Thank you for the bath. That was really sweet. It's just what I need." She said into his shoulder and he just held her a little tighter.

"You know the only consolation, beautiful?" He asked her softly and she sniffed a little to hold back more tears at him calling her beautiful even though she was a weepy just woken up mess. "Your second trimester will start in only about three weeks so the nausea should be gone, your hormones will calm down and you'll feel better." He said soothingly and she was continually surprised at how caring Damon could be. "But in the mean time, why don't you jump in the bath and I'll bring you some tea mixed with blood and we'll see if you feel a little better then?" He suggested and she nodded against his shoulder.

"Thanks, Damon." She whispered.

"You know, it's your only job for the next 27 weeks to grow a little tiny person and take care of yourself, so you know what my job is?" He smirked and she giggled a little.

"What?" She asked.

"To make that as easy as possible for you and run after you and get you anything you want. So I want you to be completely selfish. If there is _anything_ you want or need you just have to say it and I'll get it for you." He said rubbing her back and he meant every word. In his day, pregnant women were treated like they were made of porcelain and were top priority so that's what he was going to do.

"Can you stop being so sweet? I won't stop crying otherwise." She sniffed and he chuckled then let go of her and smirked.

"Get in the damn tub, Barbie." He smirked and she laughed.

"Thanks." She smiled at him and he winked at her then left the bathroom to get her blood. Caroline got undressed and jumped in the huge tub and the water came up to her chin and she grinned at being able to be so submerged. It was so soothing. Damon came in with a wine glass for her with blood and some of the tea mixed into it. He set it down on the side of the tub as there was a wide area on either side that could hold things.

"Did I fill it too much?" He asked concerned when only her head was out of the water.

"No, I love this." She grinned at him and he smiled.

"Okay, good." He said then perched on the edge. "What do you want to do today?" He asked curiously as she reached out for the glass then took a sip.

"I'd really like to see the Liberty Bell." She said and he nodded as he thought about that. "What?" She asked curiously when she saw his thoughtful expression.

"Well, I wanted to take you to Longwood Gardens but now I'm thinking the smell might be tough considering obviously it's covered in flowers." He said and her stomach fluttered. That sounded really romantic.

"How about I just drink the tea right before we go in?" She suggested. "If it's too much I can always breathe through my mouth instead." She smiled and he chuckled.

"Okay." He agreed. "No it's just, I remember you saying once that you liked water lilies and they have a big water lily display there with over a hundred different types of them that I thought you would like." He said and her stomach fluttered at him being so sweet again.

"That sounds amazing." She smiled. "I definitely want to see that regardless of the smell. I'll hold my breath if I have to." She waved a hand unconcerned and he laughed a little.

"We can always come back here when you're feeling better, you know." He said reassuringly.

"Still. Other pregnant women have to work and just go about their days normally so I should really stop feeling sorry for myself and still carry on as normal." She said and he chuckled.

"But _other_ pregnant women don't have heightened senses, heightened emotion and bloodlust _before_ they are pregnant, so you have it tougher than they do." He pointed out.

"Yeah, the mood swings are a bitch." She mumbled and he smirked. "By the way, do you want to come in with me?" She asked him and he looked confused.

"In where?" He asked and she giggled.

"The tub, obviously." She pointed to the water and the surprise was evident on his face.

"Won't you be uncomfortable?" He asked sceptically and she chuckled.

"Have you seen the size of it? Three people could probably fit in here comfortably." She said amused but he still looked sceptical. "I'm not trying to steal your innocence, it's just a bath." She teased and he laughed loudly at that.

"Fine." He smirked amused then stood up and pulled his shirt over his head. Caroline moved forward in the tub so there was room behind her. She hadn't really thought it through when she asked him considering they hadn't had sex since their drunken night and they were about to share a bubble bath and he would be all naked and internally, she was kind of freaking out so instead of watching him. She just drank her blood and acted like it was no big deal. Seconds later he was climbing in behind her and she thought 'fuck it' and moved back a little and rested her head against his chest. Damon's arms went around her waist and Caroline had to admit, she was even more damn comfortable now. She let out a soft sigh of satisfaction and Damon chuckled. "You like the vampire pillow, don't you?" He asked amused and she laughed a little.

"You are seriously comfortable." She agreed with a smile and he chuckled then leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "God, I'll end up falling asleep." She said contentedly and he laughed a little.

"Good thing the bath water is temperature controlled then." He smirked and she chuckled.

"I love this tub. I think we should compel the hotel and find out where they got it." She said and he laughed.

"Why?" He asked amused.

"So I can move into it." She replied amused and he laughed a little again.

"Our house has a spa tub. You'll probably love that one too." He pointed out amused and she smiled at him saying it was _their_ house.

"Can I be a total pain in the ass?" She asked and he laughed a little.

"Go ahead." He said amused.

"Can we go to the house straight away instead of stopping then maybe come back when my nausea calms down?" She asked curiously.

"Of course." He nodded against her shoulder.

"I'm just dying to see the house already and I feel like I'm going to be no fun at all while I feel like this." She said.

"Well, we could get to Boston in about four hours then there's the overnight ferry from Boston to Halifax, so we could be at the house by tomorrow morning." He said and she smiled.

"Is that okay?" She asked and he chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing the house too." He said.

"What time does the ferry leave?" She asked.

"11.30pm." Damon replied and she thought about that.

"Okay, so, we could... go see the liberty bell, go to the Longwood Gardens then drive to Boston?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." He agreed. In that moment, Caroline was hit with a bolt of pure _lust_ and it actually made her gasp. "You okay?" Damon asked concerned.

"Uh... yeah." She said and Damon looked at the side of her face sceptically. Caroline realised in that moment that it was the first time she felt _completely_ normal since her pregnancy symptoms started weeks earlier. She felt amazing for the first time in weeks... And she got another jolt of lust. She figured she'd be embarrassed later but she decided to take full advantage of him being naked pressed up against her. She moved forward a little and Damon let her go then she turned around so that she was facing him instead and he looked at her curiously. She put her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes. "I changed my mind." She said and he cocked an eyebrow at that.

"About?" He asked curiously.

"Stealing your innocence." She smirked and he laughed at that.

"I don't think I've ever been innocent." He replied amused.

"Do you really want to talk in the first moment I've felt completely back to normal in weeks?" She asked him with a devious little expression and he smirked. He reached forward with his hands and pulled her onto his lap with her legs straddling either side of him.

"Are you sure?" He asked her and she was surprised at how cautious he was being. She gathered he didn't want to make a mistake with her but it's not like he was trying it on with her, she was trying it on with him.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing what I want?" She teased and he chuckled.

"Yeah, but yesterday when we talked about us we decided to take things slowly. That's why I'm checking." He said sincerely and she smiled.

"I'm pregnant, Damon. It's not like we've never had sex before." She pointed out. Then her expression fell a little with the realisation that maybe Damon didn't want her. "Unless you don't want to." She said and Damon's jaw dropped. Damon saw in her expression that it had taken a lot of courage for her to make a move first and now she was worried he didn't want her.

"You're joking right?" He asked. "I _always_ want you." He replied then put his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him until her face was only inches away from his.

"Then kiss me." She said softly and he didn't over think it, he just kissed her. He ran his hands up her sides gently as he could already tell this wouldn't be just sex; it would be significant. This was the mother of his daughter. This was his soon-to-be girlfriend. This was the girl he knew he would fall in love with...

This was his soul mate.

* * *

><p>Neither of them were in a rush and they got so caught up in each other while keeping things slow and soft that they ended up being in the tub for well over an hour. When they were finally finished, Damon pulled her into him and she lay on top of him with her cheek against his chest and he had his arms around her. Both were blown away by the experience considering neither had ever felt anything like it. Damon ran his hand up and down her back slowly and softly.<p>

"I'll fall asleep if you keep doing that." She said softly and he chuckled.

"Do you want to go to sleep for a little while?" He asked her and she shook her head against his chest.

"No." She said and Damon saw her move her hand to her stomach and that had him curious.

"What are you doing?" He asked curiously.

"I have a teeny tiny bump." She said and he smiled.

"Really? Can I feel?" He asked and she giggled.

"Sure." She said amused. Damon reached his arm around her waist to her lower abdomen and touched her skin softly. He did notice a miniscule difference but he'd read that the father wasn't supposed to acknowledge it at all.

"I don't feel anything." He lied and she looked up at him with a smirk.

"Thank you for doing the 'she hasn't put on any weight' duty." She winked at him and he laughed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He replied and she leaned up and kissed him a peck on the lips.

"Mmhmm." She said amused and he smirked.

* * *

><p>Soon after, the two of them got ready then left the suite and went to see the liberty bell. Caroline looked at the old bell and took a couple of pictures with her phone and Damon saw her sceptical look.<p>

"What's that face for?" Damon asked amused and she sighed.

"I know I sound like a total anti-culture person but I do _not _get the big deal about this bell." She said and he laughed loudly. "Think I'll skip the historical crap from now on." She said and he chuckled. He liked that she wasn't into all of that because he wasn't either. He didn't understand human fascination with statues, old buildings and other things like the bell. He was more of a 'here and now' type and he liked that Caroline seemed to be the same.

"Then let's get out of here." He said to her amused and she gave him a big warm smile.

* * *

><p>Damon took her to Longwood Gardens and Caroline <em>loved <em>it. The place was enormous so they didn't have time to see all of it but what they did see was incredible. They went to the water lily display first and Caroline took some pictures. Damon took a picture of her in front of the display and Caroline felt a little fluttery that he wanted pictures of her. She was a little surprised when they left that part and he took her hand as they went for a walk through the displays. She interlaced their fingers though and she couldn't help the small smile on her face because she thought it was all so romantic.

They hadn't declared it officially a 'date' but she thought it was probably the best date ever. When they arrived at one of the huge fountain displays, Caroline wanted a picture of the two of them in front of the enormous fountain so she got a guy that happened to be walking past to take the picture. Damon was kind of amused but he put his arm over her shoulders and she leaned into him and they both smiled as the picture was taken. Caroline thanked the man then looked at the photo and Damon looked at it over her shoulder and they both noticed that they looked happy in the photo. He couldn't help it so he leaned down and kissed her and she smiled against his mouth as she kissed him back.

Caroline found the intense smell of the flowers bearable which surprised them both. The floral smell didn't bother her much so they spent a couple of hours there then when they were leaving, Caroline wanted to go into the gift shop which amused but didn't surprise Damon. When they walked into the shop they were hit by the scent of a floral perfume.

"What's that smell?" Caroline asked absently.

"It bothering you?" Damon asked her concerned and she shook her head immediately.

"No... it's... amazing." She said and he looked surprised. He looked around a little then led her over to a perfume display. They had their own perfume called 'Always in Bloom' and Caroline lifted a bottle then smelled it. "That's beautiful." She said surprised that she could handle the smell. Damon had picked up a little basket thinking Caroline would no doubt want half the shop so he picked up a couple of bottles of the perfume and put them in the basket. "Are you sure?" She asked surprised and he smirked.

"Get anything you want." He said to her sincerely and she smiled. They ended up being in the shop for almost twenty minutes because Caroline was fascinated by all the books on flowers and plants. They got two books, one called '100 Years of Garden Splendour' which was all about the Longwood Gardens because Caroline _loved _the place and another book called 'Plant Exploration' which Caroline was fascinated with. They also got a glass ornament of the main conservatory building as a souvenir.

Caroline had been busy looking at a book when Damon appeared next to her and held up a tiny black baby t-shirt that had Longwood Gardens written across it in fancy white writing and Caroline was sure she melted. He suggested they get it since it was technically their little daughter's first visit to Philadelphia. Caroline grinned at him and kissed him for doing something so cute and Damon saw how much she liked what he said so he put that in the basket too.

* * *

><p>They'd been driving for over two hours and they were just travelling through West Haven when Caroline spotted a beach in the distance. Damon noticed her looking at the beach so he took the next right and drove down to Ocean Avenue. Caroline looked at him in surprise and he gave her a smile which made her melt a little. She'd been feeling that 'melty' feeling around Damon a lot in the last few days. He was being seriously sweet and she couldn't help thinking that she could really get used to it. Damon parked the car then the two of them got out. Damon walked around to where she was leaning against the car door.<p>

"Want to take a walk?" He asked her and she smiled and nodded. She took his hand because she was feeling brave but he immediately interlaced their fingers and they walked down the sand. They neared the water when Caroline stopped and Damon looked at her in curiosity.

"Can we sit for a minute? I feel a little nauseated." She said and he nodded immediately then let go of her hand and took his jacket off. He put it down on the sand then sat down and pulled her down to sit between his legs and he put his arms around her waist and she smiled and leaned back into his chest then he rested his chin softly on her shoulder. "Who knew you were so affectionate?" She teased lightly glancing back at him and he chuckled then kissed her cheek.

"I just had a really nice day with you." He admitted and she smiled.

"Best date ever." She said and that made him happy.

"You really liked the gardens didn't you?" He asked amused and she nodded.

"That place was so beautiful." She said.

"They have places like that in Nova Scotia too, you know." He said surprising her. "There's the Royal Historic Gardens, the Harriet Irving Botanic Gardens, the Halifax Public Gardens and the Tangled Garden. That one is kind of weird but it's interesting." He commented and Caroline looked at him curiously.

"How do you know that?" She asked him and he smirked.

"I quite like all of that stuff and I lived in Nova Scotia years ago so I visit quite often because I loved living there." He said surprising her.

"I didn't know you lived there." She replied.

"It was a long time ago. That was why it was the first place in Canada I looked for a house in." He said and she smiled. She was glad they were going somewhere that Damon obviously knew well.

"Well, you'll have to take me to all of those places." She smiled and he chuckled.

"I will." He replied.

"What is it you like about it? Is it botany or nature or...?" She asked.

"Both." He replied. "I've always found nature really interesting as opposed to people. I'm kind of a loner if you haven't noticed." He smirked and she laughed a little. "My father used to think I was strange because I would to want to go off by myself and look at trees and plants and animals in the woods or by the lake. So much so, he used to sometimes make me take Stefan with me just so I wasn't by myself all the time." He said and she smiled at him sharing that with her.

"Did you just look?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, were you the type of kid that collected leaves and flowers and acorns and stuff or did you draw what you saw?" She asked.

"I used to draw things I liked." He replied.

"I used to collect the things I liked." She commented and he looked surprised. "If I found a leaf or flower I thought was really beautiful I used to keep it then glue it to paper and put a clear varnish over it so I could keep it forever." She said and he chuckled.

"That's cute." He said amused.

"I like that we both like those things though. It means when our daughter grows up, we can take her out into nature and you can teach her how to draw and I'll teach her the arts and crafts." She smirked and Damon kissed her cheek because he loved the idea of that.

"Can I ask you a weird question?" He asked and she giggled.

"Sure." She replied.

"If this works out, having a baby and being together, do you think you'd ever want to have any more kids?" He asked her and she was surprised by him thinking about that.

"Probably eventually." She replied. "When I was human and I thought about the future and kids and stuff, I always wanted to have a little boy so I'd like that." She said. "Do you?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yes, definitely." He said. "Lots of them." He said amused and she laughed.

"I can actually imagine you with a football team of kids running around driving me crazy." She smirked and he chuckled. He found that he liked the idea of that. "Though, I'm only eighteen so I'll want to wait a while before attempting to do it again." She said and he nodded in understanding. "Remind me to ask Gina if there's any kind of birth control." She said and he smirked.

"Probably would be a good idea since we don't know exactly how all of that works with us being vampires." He said.


End file.
